To the Editor:
These are the comments I sent to the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation on its draft solid waste management plan.

The state government needs to acknowledge that we live in a precarious era. We are facing rapidly onrushing climate chaos.

Due to human activities, species extinction are occurring hundreds of times more quickly than what occurs naturally. We are drowning in plastics and PFAS chemicals are ubiquitous.

The threat of nuclear war and nuclear power catastrophe remain.

Children and animals born today face a lifetime of continuously deteriorating environmental health. We need to create and implement real solutions.

New York state is far behind the most enlightened states and countries in correctly and safely managing unwanted materials. DEC should advocate for the most environmentally protective policies ….

A healthy discarded materials plan should include the following:

— The top priority is to detoxify the economy by minimizing the generation of materials that cannot be safely composted, recycled, or reused. Achieving this goal will require vast amounts of international cooperation and an effective system of regulations that is beyond New York or DEC’s capacity and jurisdiction but this goal must be articulated and pursued. Adopting the precautionary principle is a must;

— Respect the scientific process;

— Examine best practices used around the world;

— Recyclables must be clean enough to be marketed and sold. This would necessitate the replacement of  single-stream recycling with multiple streams;

— The word “waste” should be discontinued and replaced with “discarded materials and resources”;

— The state must acknowledge that some materials have no beneficial use because they are too toxic.  Sewage sludge is one. Sewage sludge should not be spread on agricultural lands;

— Containers need to be reused many times. Single-use containers for foods and beverages should be prohibited;

— No disposal facilities should be sited or operated within one mile of any school, day care center, hospital, or medical office;

— Zero waste is our ultimate goal even if it can never be achieved;

— Compost all food scraps and create the infrastructure to achieve it;

— Buyers have a right to repair their tools and machines;

— Buildings should be designed to be eventually deconstructed with materials recovered and reused; and

— Terms such as “disposal,” “recycling,” and “beneficial use” need to be precisely defined.

Tom Ellis

Albany