Sunset Park Material Recovery Facility: Assessment of Sustainability
Abstract
Background. This research paper evaluates the sustainable construction and operations plans of New York City’ Sunset Park Material Recovery Facility; a recyclable waste sorting facility planned to open in Brooklyn around the close of 2013. The facility is part of outgoing Mayor Bloomberg’s PlaNYC, a sustainable development plan created in order to usher in an expected one million more residents to New York City. Specifically reviewed are the impacts on the environment, society, and the economy that the project hopes to achieve.
Methodology. In order to conduct this informal study, the report looks to assess one of the most prominent sustainable features highlighted in PlaNYC’s dissemination literature; the planned reduction in sanitation refuse truck vehicle miles traveled (“VMT”) due to the plant’s waterfront location. The use of barges to supplant truck hauling of waste is evaluated by quantifying (1) the total emissions caused over the life cycle of the trucks that are being taken off the road, and (2) the operational emissions that are curtailed due to fewer trucks on the road. Emissions are calculated by analyzing the types of vehicles used, assigning an average gas mileage to these vehicles, and computing the emissions based on the amount of fuel required for the estimated reduction in VMT. This is compared to the emissions that will be produced by the barges employed by the new facility. A follow on claim is that the Sunset Park Material Recovery Facility, through its use of barge transport, will cause a decrease in on-road congestion, a condition associated with a loss of economic activity and worsened livability. This claim is evaluated by an approximation of how many vehicles will be taken off the road based on the Sunset Park facility’s plans.
Conclusions. The use of barge and elimination of a considerable amount of on-road VMT is concluded to be a more sustainable method of waste transfer, albeit at a hefty price. The amount of emissions reduced, while significant, only amounts to only a small fraction of the city’s total on-road emissions. The congestion reduced because of trucks being pulled off the road is even less significant, leading to the conclusion that the plan will have insignificant influence on economic activity due to the reduction in refuse trucks. A different measure, the proposal to overhaul refuse truck fleets for modern trucks with higher emissions controls is evaluated. Based on these findings, this proposal poses more of a substantial improvement in emissions for the city’s waste management operations at a reasonable cost.