Here’s what we know about the state mandate for the Town of Brookhaven to plan an assessment for remediation.
Rummage through Long Island's waste
- With a deadline looming, Long Island towns evaluate how they collaborate on trash
- State asks New Yorkers to consider waste as ‘a concept of the past’
- Changing behavior could help Long Islanders better recycle and donate food
- Landfill inflicts ‘generational trauma’ on North Bellport residents of color
With the Brookhaven Landfill expected to begin closing over the next few years, more than two million people on Long Island will need to find new ways to reduce, reuse, and recycle more than 14 million pounds of municipal waste generated each year.
It's important to talk trash because how we throw out our garbage directly contributes to climate change, especially in environmental justice areas that are disproportionately impacted by pollution and waste disposal in their communities.
This series is in collaboration with Stony Brook University's School of Communication and Journalism. Support comes from the Solutions Journalism Network.
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Featured Story
Ashley Pavlakis
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WSHU
In letters to Suffolk’s 10 town supervisors, the New York State NAACP questions County Executive Ed Romaine’s record in supporting industry leaders’ efforts to manage solid waste. The discussions between the county, towns and businesses were set for Wednesday in a closed-door meeting.
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J.D. Allen/WSHULocal environmental and justice groups are challenging the Town of Brookhaven’s decision to allow a developer to construct a pair of warehouses. They worry Winter Brothers will use the property to build a planned waste transfer station. The town has said that’s unlikely. -
Sara McGiff/WSHUSuffolk County Executive Ed Romaine spoke at an environmental symposium on Wednesday, March 13 at Stony Brook University where lawmakers, industry groups and environmental advocates sought answers for Long Island’s plans for waste disposal as the Brookhaven Landfill slowly transitions to be shut down.
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Brookhaven Town Supervisor Ed Romaine said if there’s any toxic ash in the Brookhaven Landfill, then the state is to blame. The candidate for Suffolk County executive made the accusation during a debate hosted by News12 Long Island. -
Democratic candidates for the Suffolk County Legislature have seized on environmental justice issues due to the controversy surrounding Brookhaven Landfill’s vendor Covanta. Outside of the Yaphank facility, Minority Leader Jason Richberg called for Ed Romaine, county executive candidate and Brookhaven Town Supervisor, to be held accountable. -
The Brookhaven landfill is a key issue in the upcoming election for Suffolk County Executive. A debate hosted by Newsday became heated when candidates responded to an investigation into the landfill’s past — and its future. -
The NAACP, environmentalists and community groups want New York Attorney General Letitia James to launch an independent investigation of waste company Covanta dumping toxic ash into the Brookhaven landfill. -
New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation will continue to investigate Covanta over allegations of improper ash mixing and disposal at Brookhaven landfill. -
Between 2006 and 2014, there were several incidents where landfill vendor Covanta dumped ash at the Brookhaven landfill and that state monitors willingly looked the other way by omitting negative information on inspection reports, according to documents obtained by Newsday.
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The Sunny Farms Landfill in Fostoria, Ohio is one of the destinations set to receive Long Island’s waste after the planned closure of Brookhaven Landfill. Residents of nearby communities are frustrated and worried about the potential harm Long Island’s garbage will bring.
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Communities around the U.S. have pioneered approaches to circular economies around waste management that could be brought to Long Island before the Brookhaven Landfill closes in a few years. -
The Town of Riverhead hopes to become a model for partnering with nonprofits Long Island Organics Council and Green Inside and Out to launch more municipal drop-off sites for food scraps to be converted into compost. -
Environmental justice advocates have questions about the priorities of the study that will determine the future of Long Island’s waste. -
How does an anaerobic digester work? Long Island will be home to among the largest for processing food scraps, yard trimmings and more organic waste.
