At the time of publication, the Onondaga County legislature had not yet voted on a proposal to import trash from Cortland County in exchange for that county accepting ash from the Onondaga County incinerator (also known as the waste-to-energy facility).
This past October, the Iroquois Group and the Jamesville Positive Action Committee (JAMPAC) sponsored a program by Neil Seldman, Ph.D., co-founder and president of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) in Washington D.C. Seldman discussed the many challenges posed by Onondaga county’s waste incinerator and municipal waste stream, as well as the highly controversial Ash for Trash Proposal. Attendees also learned about communities across the country who have invested in jobs from recycling.
Unfortunately, Seldman’s message regarding the environmental possibilities of protecting our planet while dealing with our waste fell on deaf ears. Today, the Onondaga County Resource Recovery Agency (OCRRA) is forging ahead with their efforts to convince the legislators to overturn the ban on the importation of trash.
If you live in Onondaga County, please call your county legislator and ask him/her to keep the ban on the importation of trash and to sign a contract with the incinerator owner for just five more years, during which time a push should be made for bringing in new businesses based on reuse, recycling and composting. There is also opposition in Cortland County, so both legislatures will need to approve the plan.
The Onondaga County Legislature can be reached at (315) 435-2070. County Executive Joanne M. Mahoney can be reached at (315) 435-3516. If you don’t know who your legislator is, you can easily find out by calling the Board of Elections at (315) 435-8683.