In New York City, the Department of Sanitation (DSNY) exports more than 12,000 tons of waste each day. Because there is no waste storage requirements for commercial buildings, each building can manage waste as they see fit. For many building owners, waste is a costly process. It is managed manually and stored indoors or on loading docks. Unfortunately, New York City is not the only major city facing high costs and antiquated processes when it comes to managing waste, but they are among the few with very aggressive zero waste goals. According to OneNYC, “The City is committed to becoming a worldwide leader in solid waste management by achieving the goal of Zero Waste by 2030, eliminating the need to send waste to out-of-state landfills and minimizing the overall environmental impact of the city’s trash.” In an effort to achieve this goal, New York-based Clare Miflin, architect at Kiss + Cathcart, Architects, brought together a team of architects and planners to develop a set of guidelines, called the Zero Waste Design Guidelines, that would offer architects innovative waste solutions for new building designs.
By Lisa Cassidy