[00:00:18] Speaker A: Welcome to Uptown Chats, a podcast where we share stories about environmental justice by and for everyday people. I'm your co host, Jaron.
[00:00:25] Speaker B: And I'm your other co host, Lonnie.
[00:00:27] Speaker A: And today we're talking about everybody's favorite topic, Trash.
[00:00:33] Speaker B: Trash.
[00:00:33] Speaker A: I know we've already covered other topics like composting and rats, which are definitely related, but we haven't talked about trash or waste specifically here in New York City. But before we get to that, Lonnie, can you read react Mission?
[00:00:51] Speaker B: Absolutely. We act's mission is to build healthy communities by ensuring that people of color and or low income residents participate meaningfully in the creation of sound and fair environmental, health and protection practices and policies.
[00:01:04] Speaker A: Thank you. So now let's get to the fun part.
And before we get too far into, you know, talking about what the waste system looks like here in New York City and why it's messed up, let's talk about what we're referring to when we say waste. What is waste? Well, waste is generally just defined as any material, substance or byproduct that's discarded, no longer wanted, or has served its initial purpose and is therefore deemed unusable or without value. It's kind of a harsh definition. I'm like, when we call people trash, I'm like, wow, this is probably what we're referring to.
[00:01:38] Speaker B: It's much deeper than we thought.
[00:01:40] Speaker A: I know it hits on a deeper level, but waste can take lots of different forms and it's categorized based on its source and its composition. You think of more common streams of waste like organics, recyclables, metal, glass, plastic, paper, E waste or electronic waste, and then textiles, so all the fabric and clothes that get thrown away.
[00:02:02] Speaker B: So how does the waste system work here in New York City? So there's like four major components to our waste system, and that's the collection, there's the transfer stations and sorting, and then there's just like the final disposal. And so with the collection, sanitation workers collect waste from our homes and buildings. There again, there are three main types of streams. So trash and recyclables. That's your metal, glass, plastics, and paper and cardboard. And then you have like your organics waste or your food scraps or yard waste. That waste is then taken to some type of local transfer station where it's compacted and prepped for transport. And this helps to reduce kind of the volume and make transport to the final destination a little bit more efficient. But some waste goes through a sorting process, so recyclables are sent to material recovery facilities where they're sorted, processed and prepped to be sold as raw material for new products. And then there's actually your compostable waste. If we're separating in which New York City does now have a universal collection for organic waste, it goes to either a composting facility, which is on Staten island, or it goes to the anaerobic digestion down in Newtown Creek, which we actually recently just talked about that in our biogas episode. So. And some people take their organic waste, like their food scraps and their yard waste to local community composters for, to create compost for soil amendments. And then finally everything that else is remaining after you've kind of separated everything out and sorted through everything, the remaining trash that's not what's not recyclable or compostable is transported out of New York City by truck, rail or barge or ship. And most of it ends up in landfills, mainly in neighboring states, though a small portion of the waste is sent to waste to energy facility for incineration.
Often we talk about the one in New Jersey and Newark and that facility.
[00:03:57] Speaker A: There which we alluded to. So again, if that sounds familiar, then that means that you were kind enough to listen to one of our previous episodes about waste, incineration or about biogas. So thank you. But as Lonnie alluded to, you know, it's. It's somewhat complicated process about, you know, where all this waste goes depending on what's in there between the time that you put it out on your curb or you put it in a bin and the time that it actually makes it to its final destination either here in New York City or in a different state. So one thing you might be asking yourself, and really at the heart of this episode today, we'll be talking about why is waste and how is waste an environmental justice concern?
With the help of a member of Weak's Climate justice working group, Julio Lopez Torres, who's been researching and working on this issue for quite a while.
[00:04:46] Speaker B: Let's get into it.
[00:04:58] Speaker C: My name is Julio Lopez. I am a resident of Hamilton Heights here in West Harlem. I've been in the neighborhood for about five years now. I have a master's in environmental policy and sustainability management, which is where my background comes in when it comes to, like, waste and like, renewable energy.
My studies were also a very focused on, like, anti colonial and anti capitalist practices and how that applies towards building a better, safer environment and how to tackle climate change from that perspective. I lived in Arizona for many Years before moving here, and then before that, I was in Puerto Rico. So can you tell us a little.
[00:05:41] Speaker A: Bit about how you got involved with weight? Obviously, you're here and you're joining us for this interview. At some point, you got plugged in and learned about weak. Can you tell us about that?
[00:05:50] Speaker C: Yeah, I know. So I was actually reflecting on this because I moved into his neighborhood about four years ago, and I remember one of the first days, I was walking around with my wife. I saw the big WIAC banner downstairs, right. I lived two blocks down, and I snapped a photo, and then I did some research. I was like, oh, wow. Like, this organization is involved in a lot of things that, like, I think about often. You know, like, a lot of things that I care about, but, like, I just have never been involved, you know, Like, I used to work a corporate job. So I think this country, we have a lot of distractions, you know, like, we have a lot of debt, we have a lot of responsibilities, and sometimes we get distracted from, like, the actual things that matter. So I found out about we act, and I was like, you know what? Like, I can definitely dedicate time to, like, being a member and, like, doing some work with them. But then Covid hit, and literally, I moved into his neighborhood, like, two months before COVID started, and kind of, like, we just, like, sheltering in place, kind of, like, forgot about it. Then I decided to go back to school and get my master's. So then I was kind of busy with that. But, like, I always had we act in the back of my mind, like, we act was always, like, an example that was brought up in my studies. I did my master's at the New School. So a lot of my professors are, like, activists. They're scholar activists. And a lot of our education was grassroots approaches, indigenous approaches to the climate crisis. So We ACT was definitely something that always kept coming up. I was super busy in school, so I couldn't get involved with anything. But then towards my last semester, I started attending some of the membership meetings, and eventually I started joining some of the working groups and getting more involved, and here I am.
[00:07:36] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:07:36] Speaker B: And Julio's been, like, a superstar so far with being involved with the climate justice working group, for sure.
[00:07:43] Speaker A: What sparked your interest in the issue of waste specifically? Is this something that came up during your master's program, or was it something else that kind of triggered this interest in this issue of waste?
[00:07:54] Speaker C: Yeah, so I would say that kind of, as an individual, I've. I've been aware of, like, how much waste I produce. I grew up in Puerto Rico and I grew up middle class, so it wasn't like. Like I needed stuff, you know, like. But my family, particularly my grandparents, always instilled this sense of not being wasteful. My grandma, my mom's side of the family. It's so funny because this is something that my cousins, I joke about. At night, if one of us will leave a light on, she will run into that room to turn it off, you know, so, like, sometimes we will be out in the living room and the rest of the house will be pitch dark. And like, when you're a kid. Yeah, that's kind of scary, you know, but, like, it's kind of like that. Like, I don't know if you've seen the memes about, like, Hispanics and like, how we were sustainable before, like, sustainable. Sustainability became like, a trendy. It's like you would go into, like, open up a fridge and, like, grab a tub of butter and there will be, like, white rice in there. So that's kind of like how I grew up, you know, and just being mindful. And then I think that kind of, like, what sparked my interest was like, going from Puerto Rico and then Arizona, where, like, everything's new for the most part, like, the infrastructure is new. Like, sanitation, like, waste management is very efficient. You know, you don't see trash on the street. Trash pickup is like a truck that just comes around the neighborhood and picks up the bin on its own and like, dumps the trash in the back, like in most American cities, you know, and like, other places. And then I moved here, I felt like I took like 20 steps back, you know, it's like, there's trash everywhere. Like, pickup is like four guys walking behind a truck grabbing gar. Trash bags from the sidewalk and throwing them on the. On the back of a truck. Which is like how trash collection is done in Puerto Rico. And it's like, this city has so much money and, like, how are we so behind on something that is so essential, you know? And like, you're walking around the street and you're dodging, like, human and dog feces, right? You're dodging rats everywhere. Like, I saw probably one rodent my whole, like, my 18 years living in Arizona, you know? And then from. From there, it was something that was kind of like in the back of my mind and, like, bothering me. And I was like, we could definitely do this better. So then when I applied for grad school, I had to write an admissions paper, and I was like, damn, I haven't Written anything in, like, 10 years. Like, I don't know what I'm gonna do. So then I decided to just do a research paper on, like, history of, like, the lack of waste management practices in New York City. And then from there, I was like, whoa, this makes a lot of sense.
And. Yeah, and then funny enough, like, when I was in school, I didn't actually focus that much on waste. I focused a lot more on, like, Puerto Rico's colonial relationship with the United States and how that has impacted food and energy security. But, yeah, waste was something that I always kind of, like, read about. And, like, professors always, like, gave us a wide array of subjects to read on any given week. And I would just, like, kind of, like, pick and choose. And if there was anything on waste, I will. I would read it. But, yeah, now, after school, I decided to get a little bit more involved and joined the Zero Waste Working group with Lonnie. So shout out to a little promotion.
[00:11:11] Speaker B: For a little promo there. I always find it fascinating that kind of thinking about how we grow up and just kind of throughout life, waste is kind of like an afterthought. Or we don't think about it as something as intricate it is. Once you start getting to school and you start doing research and learning how. How intricate it is, whether it be the systems, the different types of waste, where the waste goes, how we're producing waste, there's so many aspects to it. When you know you're just a kid and you learn your first song about recycling, I won't sing it, but that's kind of like your extent of understanding waste and sustainability. And what that means is, like, oh, separate your plastics, your cans, and your paper. But given all of kind of, like, what you're researching, kind of your expertise in ways. Can you give us, like, kind of almost like a little bit of a historical overview of, like, waste management in the city and in general, you can.
[00:12:01] Speaker A: Pull from that paper. I don't know if you still have it with you.
[00:12:03] Speaker C: Yeah, no, I pulled stuff from the paper when I was preparing for this, just to refresh my memory. And then there's also a really good New York Times article that came out recently that talks about it. So I'll touch up on a few different things, but unsurprisingly, like, not a lot has changed since, like, the colonizers first settled in Manhattan. Like, back then, it was a lot of organic waste that they would just throw over those city walls or, like, throw them in the waterways or, like, like the swamps. And then eventually, like, Those became landfills. But there's a lot of parts of Manhattan that are actual, like, trash landfills. And that's how they expanded parts of the city. I think, like, Roosevelt island is one of them. If I'm not mistaken.
Ellis island definitely used to be a lot smaller. I think, like, large portions of the Upper west side were also, like, filled in. Battery park, of course. So even, like, waste has shaped the size and like the shape of Manhattan.
[00:13:01] Speaker A: You know, Built by trash.
[00:13:03] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah, definitely built by trash.
[00:13:07] Speaker B: That sounds like a New Jersey slogan.
[00:13:09] Speaker A: I'm not. I'm not for New Jersey.
[00:13:11] Speaker C: Don't worry.
[00:13:12] Speaker A: I'm not. I'm not a plant.
[00:13:13] Speaker C: No, but I mean, funny that we bring up New Jersey because back in the 30s and before that, New York City used to just drop dump trash in the Atlantic. And then Jersey got tired of it and sued New York. New York City took us to federal court. And then that's when New York City stopped dumping trash in the Atlantic because of that. So it's always been kind of like a out of sight, out of mind mentality when it comes to, like, waste. In New York city in the 1800s, there were like thousands of pigs that roamed the city and they would just eat off, like, any organic scrap. I guess, like back in the day, people were really selective about the cuts of meats that they wanted. So butcher shops would just throw up whatever was left over out on the sidewalks. People would just throw out, like, remains of, like, fish and like, other food discards. And these pigs would just, like, clean it up.
[00:14:04] Speaker B: It sounds horrible.
[00:14:06] Speaker C: Yeah. So like, food.
[00:14:08] Speaker A: Hell yeah.
[00:14:10] Speaker C: And it's like, what about, like, diseases from these pigs or like their feces? Like, I think like, they used to, like, their pens were like, somewhere like around Central Park. So, like, at night these pigs would just like, on their own, just go back home, basically. And then when Central park opened, they basically got evicted. And then we got rid of the pigs. But yeah, so that's just like New York City. It's. It just hasn't known how to handle trash. And as I was, I brought up that article of New York Times because they have photos from like the 1910s and like 1920s and 1970s, and trash on the sidewalk is basically the same as is now as it was before.
Trash collection was the same. Right. Like, now it's guys and walking behind trucks. Back in the day, it was like guys walking behind, like horse drawn carriages, right? And they were just dumping trash in the, in the back of a truck.
Another thing is that property Owners are the ones responsible for maintaining the sidewalks clean. Right. So, like, whether that's a residential or commercial building, it's up to them to clean it. Right. So, like, some do a better job than others. So that's why you don't see a lot of street sweepers in New York City. You don't see people, like, picking up trash because it's the responsibility of the, of the property owner, even if it wasn't their fault. You know, like, I could walk in front of a building and just dump all my trash and walk away. And like, it's that property owner that has to clean it up. So it's also kind of like created this culture of like, littering. People just throw trash on the ground, like they don't care. Yeah. Somebody else is going to pick it up. And if we're talking about littering and waste on the, on the streets, there's a huge discrepancy between affluent neighborhoods and communities like Harlem. Right. Like, the amount of, like, trash bins in the corners is way higher in the Upper east side than it is in East Harlem.
[00:16:08] Speaker A: I think we've touched on that idea a little bit. This idea of.
I think it parallels a lot of the other inequities that we see around the presence of rats and other issues.
[00:16:20] Speaker C: But it wasn't always bad. There was actually a brief period in 1895 after Colonel George E. Waring Jr. Was appointed as the head of the department of Street Cleaning. This guy was a Civil War veteran, and he ran this, like, the street cleaning department, like a military, like, with military precision. You know, he like sep. He was actually the first one to separate the collection of organic waste from like, actual refuse and ash. So essentially like, he was. He started like one of the first recycle recycling programs in the whole nation. He unfortunately passed away a couple years later. And then even though the city kept up with the program, once the US or once the first World War started and the Federal Reclamation act went into place, basically like, the military was in charge of collecting all waste so that if it could be used in the, in the war effort, it could be used for like, weapons or bomb manufacturing or whatever the city got used to not paying for, for trash collection during that period. Right. And like, we know how corrupt, like New York politicians, right? So like, they're probably lining their pockets during these years. And then once the war ended and the city had to, like, become responsible again for trash collection, they were like, no, we're not going to be going back to, like, what we were doing. Throw everything in the same bin and then we'll just collect it and then, I mean, recycling didn't come back until like the 80s. We still really don't have compost, but we did have it back then. So I mean, it can be done, but we just need to have the political will to do it.
[00:18:09] Speaker B: Yeah, it sounds like there's a lot of ups and downs historically with just how we handle waste in the city. It's actually interesting to hear how early separation of waste took place because now we're thinking about it. Such a modern issue of like, how are we separating recycling for Ligurianic waste and what are we doing with it? But it seems like this has been thought about before. It's not new. You talked a little bit about kind of funding aspects to it. So how does kind of poor funding impact our waste management?
[00:18:40] Speaker C: Yeah, so it's impacted in different ways. Back in the 70s or before the 70s, the. The city was responsible for collecting both residential and commercial trash. But that's when the city was going through like a financial, like, recession. So then that's when they decided to make commercial buildings responsible for, for their own trash collection. That's where we had like the proliferation of like private trash carters and kind of like how the mafia got into it. Like if you watch the Sopranos and you're like, how is Tony and waste management? It's because of that. Right. But at the moment, as it stands, the city is in charge of residential trash collection. Free of charge, obviously comes from like our taxes. But unlike other cities where they actually charge individuals. Like, for example, and I lived in Arizona, like I paid for trash collection monthly, you know, so like, you don't have that here. So it's also like a, like a budgeting issue. It's like the amount of waste that is produced in this city. And there's something like over 800,000 residential buildings in New York City. So yeah, it's a huge, huge, huge mountain climb. So if you're not properly funding these systems, then you have a situation like we had back in after World War I where the city was like, you know, the cheapest option is to just dump everything in the same bin and then do away with it. Right. Poor funding as well. As we mentioned before, it's like little funding goes into, into black and brown neighborhoods. So there's less trash bins in the corners. Right. So collection is less frequently. So that's why you have more trash on the street. Street. And you have education aspect. Right. Like, the city doesn't Do a job, good job of educating the citizens on proper waste disposal. Right. Like, I remember, I think last year when. When the city came up with the great idea of, like, pushing back collection time because they thought that was going to help with rats, all they did was, like, put flyers in people's mailbox, and it didn't really explain anything. It's like the rats are there, you know, like, 24, 7. It doesn't matter when you move, like, when you put the trash out or not. Like, they're gonna know it's there, you know?
[00:21:00] Speaker A: So I feel like we kind of touched on this in a lot of your response to some of the previous questions. But we always like to put a fine point on it.
How do you view waste management as an environmental justice issue? And how does that fit into some of the issues around access, equity, and all of that?
[00:21:21] Speaker C: Yeah, no, waste is. I mean, waste is a huge environmental justice issue. I mean, even just in the context of our live environment in black and brown neighborhoods where you see trash everywhere, you know, you see, like, feces on the. Feces on the ground, you see, like, food waste, you see rats, you know, pests that carry diseases and get people sick. But like, even just like, seeing trash on the ground has a huge mental health issue. Like, I, you know, I. I love my time in New York City, but then I've. I've also come to recognize that, like, I've. I've had some mental health issues because of this environment, you know, because of sometimes how loud it is. Like, the ambulances that I go by all the time, you know, the trash everywhere. Like, sometimes I walk by trash and I just, like, get so angry, you know, it's like you grow up like this. Like, it affects your, like, mental health. And then when it comes to New York City specifically, right, like, we don't have any. Any. We don't have any landfills in the city anymore. There's no incinerators like there used to be back in the day. You know, like, back in the, like, before the 80s, there were something like 22 municipal incinerators, but then there was something like 17,000 incinerators inside residential buildings.
[00:22:42] Speaker A: Wow.
[00:22:42] Speaker C: Yeah. But then what's funny.
What's funny about that is that, like, we can look at it and be like, oh, that's a terrible idea. Right? Like, you're putting out all these, like, microplastics and all these, like, all this, like, methane out into the atmosphere. But, like, burning waste is seen as a green solution now. It's. It's being Sold as a green, green alternative. Like, a lot of our organic waste gets shipped off to other states where it's burned and incinerators, right? And, like, all of this organic waste is being. Is being labeled as unfracked natural gas. You know, it's basically our garbage is being used to produce electricity like it used to be back in the day after advocates fought against it. And then on the issue of our waste going to other communities, right? Like, our waste basically goes to transfer stations, primarily located in black and brown neighborhoods in the city, and then that goes off upstate, it goes to New Jersey, right? Like, there's a huge incinerator in the ironbound community. And I know from. From my time in the program, I know a lot of people that work in New Jersey, and they oppose the Covanta incinerators. So it's like, our waste, like, the amount of waste that New Yorkers produce, it's massively overburdening black and brown communities all over the Northeast. Like, we ship off our trash out to Cleveland at times, you know, so it's, like, wild. So it's like we're putting the burden of our waste on other communities.
[00:24:22] Speaker A: Yeah, it's interesting that you say that, because two things. One, the issue of waste and waste management inherently linked to the formation of WE Act. We talked about that before. It's very, very core to, like, why we act exists.
But also in one of our previous interviews with Peggy Shepard, who helped create we act, that's one of the things that she mentioned, has been a persistent issue for the city, is this issue of waste management, especially as it relates to environmental justice. So clearly, it's. It's. For whatever reason, the city just can't figure it out. It's been struggling with it.
[00:25:01] Speaker B: I think that's a. That's also a really good segue into this idea of, like, we know all this. We have all this knowledge. We know that things are wrong. We can't bulldoze the city. Don't. And we can't burn it down now. Don't. We don't have that. Don't get crazy to build alleyways.
What are we supposed to do? Like, what's the current state? And, you know, given the infrastructure that we have that is old, we're an old city. There's only so much that we can do to manipulate the actual infrastructure itself. What are some of the things that we can do, kind of, given this current state of waste management, you know, what are some, like, upcoming, whether it be public or private initiatives or solutions that people should know about or should be. We should be thinking about.
[00:25:41] Speaker C: Yeah. So I.
In the context of climate change, right, because all of these issues are interconnected, right? Like, our waste and increasing, like, temperature is connected, right? Like, all of our food waste produces a lot of methane, you know, which is, like, 80 times more efficient at trapping heat than CO2, right. So, like, diverting as much organic waste from our landfills has to be a priority. And then you do that through, like, composting programs. Here in the city, there's a lot of community organizations that have been implementing composting programs, educating their communities.
You have BK Rot, Harlem Grown, all of these organizations that have these programs. But with proper funding, like, they could help a lot. You know, you have. The city should be rolling out curbside composting by the end of the year. I'm not sure where that's at or, like, any update that should help. Even though majority of the city composting goes into a chemical basically, like bat, where it's, like, turn into fuel. Like, it gets turned into, like, methane for energy generation, which, I mean, I would rather see organic waste be turned into compost that could be used as fertilizer, you know, and, like, replenish a lot of our soils or be used at community gardens or be sold to, like, farmers upstate or whatever. Instead of it just being burnt. The city is piloting, like, waste containers, right? For, like, smaller buildings. They're piloting, like, those, like, black wheelie bins that you rolled out to the curve. They have, like, these fancy new trucks with arms that, like, everybody else has had for decades, but they're new in New York City.
[00:27:45] Speaker A: It's exciting.
[00:27:46] Speaker C: Yeah, it's exciting. Yeah.
I think it was like, even they made fun of themselves at sanitation department. They said, this is our lunar landing. When they, like, when they, like, that's hilarious. Yeah. When they, like, reveal the truck with the arm, and then you have, like, the bigger container bins for bigger buildings or just to be chaired.
[00:28:07] Speaker B: Right.
[00:28:08] Speaker C: Like, the ones in front of my building are used by the buildings, like, around me.
So that's a huge start. You know, I think that getting plastic bags off the sidewalks is a must, right? Like, I mean, it's gross, man. Like, when you're walking around the city and it's trash day, like, and you're having to dodge rats that are just feasting on these trash, it's not a good look for a city either. It's like, city receives so many tourists, and it's like, dude, like. And it's so backwards. You Know, in my mind, yeah. So, like, that should be. That should be a big step towards it. Obviously, like, there's pros and cons. Like I mentioned, I see less rats. It feels a little bit cleaner. But then also there. There's some cons, right? Like, there. There's business owners around my block that they haul their trash to our bins instead of paying for trash collection now, right? So then those bins are overflowing, so there's still trash on the sides or, like, next to them. Also, like, the way that they're piloting it out is like, they have these bins that are chained up, right? And then they have to be unhooked and then rolled out by people and then picked up into a trash truck, which takes forever, right? Like, these people are on. On any given block for, like, at least 30 minutes, you know, which impacts traffic. And then the people are honking. And so definitely, like, I'm a big fan of them, but it needs some work. But I'm. I have. I mean, I'm gonna say I have confidence in the city that they're gonna figure it out, because I think. I think they need to. It's a priority. And I think. I think, like, New New Yorkers need to rally around this. It's. It's kind of baffling that people are okay, you know, with. With having so much waste on our street. And yeah, the city, like, they've been trying to establish all these rules for, like, separating waste for, like, commercial buildings and then also like, schools and NYCHA buildings and government agencies. Not sure how well that's being handled, but, like, the city's at least trying to divert waste. You also have a lot of startups that are daughter coming into the. Into the mix startups, obviously, like, they're for profit, so take what they do with a grain of salt. But I mean, at least there's more people trying to help with this issue. But I think the main thing that needs to happen in. In this city, in, like, in the United States in general, it's a cultural shift. Like, we're such a materialistic society. Like, we consume so much stuff that's unnecessary, and it just ends up on the streets or on a landfill or like an incinerator or overburdening a black and brown community. And outside of the city or even like, overseas. Right. Like, up until a couple years ago, we used to. The United States used to send most of its plastic waste to Asia, you know, and like China, and they stopped taking it, you know, and like, it's not like it's getting recycled there, just getting piled up, you know. So I think it's a switch in mindset. It's like, do I really need this? Do I need, really need to buy everything brand new? And it's not to put the responsibility on the consumer because I also think that like corporations are, have 90% of blame here, you know, like, they're the ones that are pushing these products on us. They're the ones that are like developing these needs for their products. So there definitely needs to be more accountability in corporations. I think, I think, I think we need to push our legislators to hold these corporations accountable for the waste that they produce. Right. Like, especially when it comes to like single use plastic, you know, like these corporations, they'll sell anything, you know.
[00:32:04] Speaker A: Yeah. Well, on that note, thinking about the multifaceted approach, all the things that need to be done. Lonnie, how can folks get involved with this kind of work? We have a perfect example here, but you want to say more.
[00:32:18] Speaker B: I'm glad you all asked. So we act as a Climate justice working group who has a subcommittee that is working on zero waste and really focusing right now on educating the public, mostly northern Manhattan, on basically kind of giving people sometimes their first introduction to waste at all. I know so many people in my building who have no idea how to separate their waste or they don't separate it at all. And there's no way of, you know, mitigating that without just properly educating people and getting it being a part of their everyday routine and lifestyle. So that's something that we definitely be working on. And we are as an organization that also does a lot of policy work. So we're always working and looking at legislation at the city and state and federal levels that relate to waste as well and doing the advocacy around that. So you can definitely get involved by joining the Climate justice working group.
[00:33:07] Speaker A: And who knows, maybe one day you'll end up on the podcast because of that.
[00:33:09] Speaker C: Yeah. Like me.
[00:33:11] Speaker A: Yeah. So if you're interested in the issue of waste and you want to get more involved, that zero waste subcommittee is a great launching pad to jump into that and get started. So we'll make sure to include information in the show notes for how to join you. Check it out. Thanks for listening. If you're at this point feeling that you want to be able to take some action in your personal life on how can you help reduce your contributions to waste in New York City? How can you help reduce the amount of waste that you generate and minimize your impact on environmental justice communities. Well, we have been so kind enough to include a guide on how you can move towards a zero waste lifestyle and there's there's some really good recommendations in there to help reduce the amount of waste that you generate and reduce the impact on community. So I'll we'll make sure to include a link in the show notes for you to check that out. There's a three step simple guide for you to explore and take some take some actions if you like this episode. Make sure to rate and review the show on whatever platform you listen on. And if you have thoughts about the show, we encourage you to reach out to us with your thoughts and
[email protected] youg can also check out WEAct on.
[00:34:28] Speaker B: Facebook at WEAct4ej that's W E A C T F O R EJ on Instagram X and YouTube at WEAct4EJ that's WE A C T number 4ej and check out our website WEAct.org for more information about environmental justice.
[00:34:46] Speaker A: Till next time.
[00:34:47] Speaker B: Bye.
[00:34:48] Speaker A: Don't be trashy.
[00:34:50] Speaker B: Don't be trashy. Don't be trashy.
[00:34:52] Speaker A: Don't be trashy.
