Hempstead revives trash disposal rule

The Hempstead Town Board voted unanimously Tuesday to revive the town's dormant "flow control" ordinances, requiring locally produced garbage to be delivered to town-owned waste processing centers.

The board at a public hearing amended sections of the town code that regulate the collection, processing, transfer and disposal of solid waste and recyclables.

The regulations allow the town to monitor garbage collection trends and collect data to send to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. They also assure the town that trash haulers are properly licensed and that waste is being disposed of properly.

Following requests from the villages of Valley Stream, Lynbrook and Garden City Tuesday, the board amended the law to exempt some villages, provided they comply with the town's solid waste management plan. The exemption allows companies contracted by the villages to dump waste outside of the town, providing potential savings for the villages.

The law "would mean an increase in solid waste disposal costs (for garbage haulers)," Steven Changaris, regional manager of the Northeast region of the National Solid Wastes Management Association, based in Auburn, Mass., said at the hearing.

In response to concerns that local business owners who contract private haulers would pay more to dispose of garbage, Supervisor Kate Murray said there was no way to predict the impact on their garbage collection costs.

But David Levy, assistant to the town supervisor, said, "It could have an impact on businesses that don't have garbage pick up by the municipality." He said the enforcement "would have no impact" on homeowners.