Syracuse City Council Seeks Alternatives to Incineration

- by Tim Knauss, March 2, 2015, Syracuse.com

[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"404","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","style":"width: 299px; height: 201px; margin: 3px 10px; float: left;","title":"Photo: Syracuse.com"}}]]The city council today voted against a 20-year extension of Syracuse's garbage disposal contract with the Onondaga County Resource Recovery Agency, citing a desire to pursue alternatives to trash incineration.

Syracuse remains obligated under its existing contract to haul waste to OCCRA's trash plant near Jamesville through June 2015, but it's not clear what will happen after that.

Councilor-at-Large Jean Kessner, who led opposition to the contract renewal, said she would like the city to negotiate a five-year deal with OCRRA and pursue alternatives over the long term, such as more extensive recycling.