Thank you for taking the time to visit this page and learn more about the Town of Southold’s Local Solid Waste Management Plan (for short, known as a LSWMP). The NYSDEC requires all municipalities be covered by a local solid waste management plan (LSWMP). Below please find some information about LSWMPs as well as a link to the Town’s draft LSWMP.

You may submit any comments or questions about the information contained within the LSWMP via email to dsw@town.southold.ny.us .     

A LSWMP is a planning document to aid Town waste management and planning professionals in the daily management of solid waste and related materials. The document compares various financial, environmental, and operational costs and benefits of the current solid waste management system, and compares to alternative systems, and provides an implementation program and schedule to enact a reasonably pragmatic system for the Planning Unit that balances financial costs with reduced waste disposal.

The waste streams analyzed in the plan include:

(a) Household Trash

(b) Commercial, Institutional, and Industrial Wastes

(c) Biosolids (i.e. sludge from sewage treatment plants)

(d) Debris material generated from Construction Activity

(e) Organics (i.e. food waste, yard waste)

(f) Recyclables (any materials that can be recovered or re-used)

(g) Non-traditional types of wastes (i.e. Liquid wastes, Greenhouse gas emissions)

The LSWMP contains a “blueprint” to reduce solid waste and increase recycling. The benefits of this to the Town and its residents are include:

(a) Less waste disposal protects water quality and air quality

(b) Recycling and composting save energy and reduce reliance on fossil fuels

(For 2012, the U.S. EPA estimates the amount of energy to power almost 10 million households was saved!)

(c) Selling or Donating recyclables and other waste materials to private establishments who can re-use them helps municipalities and businesses save money

(d) Having actual metrics about waste generation and recycling leads to better long term planning for future waste program needs

(e) Long term planning based on actual data overall reduces tax burden on residents, allows for better capital estimates and makes costs more manageable.