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The New York City Department of Sanitation operates the world's largest refuse marine transport system. Waste trucks unload their cargo at land-based transfer stations where refuse is placed in barges and then towed by tugboats to the Fresh Kills Landfill in Staten Island. In the early 1980s, the city commissioned the development of a computer-based model for use in fleet sizing and operations planning. As a result of the complexities introduced by environmental regulation and technological innovation, the marine transport system operations changed and the existing model became obsolete. Based on the success achieved with the first model in 1993, the city commissioned the development of a new model. In this paper, we present a PG-based model developed to meet the increased complexity of the system. Analysis performed for validation and calibration of the model demonstrates that it tracks well the operations of the real system. We illustrate through a detailed design exercise how to use the model to configure the system in a way that meets the requirements of the refuse marine transport system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Years of citizen furore finally caused the City and State of New York (USA) to agree recently to a legislated closure of the enormous Fresh Kills landfill site by the year 2001. This landfill currently handles 80% of the City's non-commercial discards, but the closure decision was made without any prior waste management planning to accommodate the need for alternative waste management treatment and disposal routes. This paper describes the planning process that ensued after thedecision was made to close Fresh Kills, including the Borough and City-wide Fresh Kills Closure Task Force reports written since the legislation was enacted, plus the Administration's Solid Waste ManagementPlan issued in April 1998. Recommendations from the Manhattan Solid Waste Management Task Force are also described. The paper illuminatesthe continuing and often tense debate between six Citizens' Solid Waste Advisory Boards, the City Council, and the City Administration todetermine whether and how to expand reduction, recycling and composting, or to export 80% of its residential and institutional waste streams to other neighbouring states for ultimate disposal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reports the results of a report on the type and amount of rubbish collected in New York City throughout the twentieth century. Method by which the information was obtained; Reasons for increases and decreases in different categories of waste including food, plastics and paper.

The article presents the author's views on the Terreform I project developed in the U.S., similar to Walt Disney Co.'s cartoon, WALL-E. He states that with U.S. being the world's leader in creating waste on the Earth, Terreform I has developed a Rapid Re(f)use project that aims to capture, reduce and redesign New York's refuse. According to him, the initiative supposes an extended city reconstituted from its own waste materials producing, at minimum, seven entirely new Manhattan Islands.