Abstract

The Position paper was a assignment that required students to write about things in new york city that is affecting the environment in a negative way. After we find our claim we would research to add evidence and come up with our own method to solve. I researched the harmful effects of waste transfer systems in the south bronx and provided evidence to support my cause and what I could do to prevent it.

Original submitted verhsion of the Postion Paper

Kriston Waugh

Position Paper – Final Draft 

FIQWS 10108 & 

November 25, 2024

Throughout all the burrows of New York City each area has contributed to the exceeding amount of waste in New York City. The city is attempting to rebrand themselves as a eco-friendly environment and trying to lower the carbon emissions and the amount of trash that ends up in places like Manhattan. Manhattan and other burrows are improving but the South Bronx proceeded to get worse and zero action is being taken to fix the amount of air pollution from waste transfer stations and the trucks that transfer the waste. The main reason why the Bronx isn’t being treated equally is because of the past racially unjust industrialization on the Bronx itself. 

The issue of Waste Transfer Stations in the South Bronx is a major problem, while it isn’t completely affecting everyone in New York City it is still a huge issue for the community who lives here. This problem is directly affecting the lower income areas of the city with the issues of air pollution, odor issues, water contamination, and potential health risks. The reason I chose this issue is because I was born, raised, and still live in the Bronx, and I have seen these injustices first hand even though I live in the North Bronx. I have noticed the smells, the air quality always being worse compared to other areas, and several factories not just in the South Bronx but all over the Bronx as a whole. This is an issue that many have not spoken out on because of the repudiation of the Bronx and the status of lower income status of the residents. 

The South Bronx is home to 15 waste transfer systems that process 31% of New York City’s waste. One of the major problems that directly affects the citizens of the South Bronx is the waste transfer system trucks. On average 304 diesel powered waste transfer trucks drive through neighborhoods in the South Bronx daily causing massive amounts of pollution to the citizens that live in the South Bronx. As a direct result from the air pollution near homes there has been a massive increase in asthma and other respiratory related health issues. As stated in Air pollution and public health in the South Bronx, published by South Bronx United, “The South Bronx has some of the highest childhood asthma rates in the country. And while air pollution exposure is not the only thing driving this disparity between the South Bronx and other neighborhoods, new research indicates that more childhood asthma in the South Bronx is attributable to traffic-related air pollution than elsewhere in the city.” 

The waste transfer station’s main issue in the South Bronx is that the truck transportation of waste causes several amounts of carbon emissions to be released into the atmosphere. This decreases the air quality causing more cases of asthma and current asthma cases to get worse. Lakhi Godavarthi Raju, Burden on the Bronx: Asthma,Pre-Collegiate Global Health Review “Also known as the “asthma alley”, the Bronx is where is the convergence of some of the largest, noisiest, and air polluted highways meet in all of New York City.” On average children in the South Bronx have a 15.5% chance to develop asthma in their life compared to 8.9% of US children all around the world. Karen Warman, Modifiable Risk Factors for Asthma Morbidity in Bronx Versus Other Inner-City Children, National library of medicine “Pediatric asthma prevalence rates in Bronx children far exceed national pediatric asthma rates. In a school-based sample, 15.5% of 4–5-year-old Bronx children were identified as having asthma compared with 9.2% of New York City students overall  and 8.9% of US children 2 to 17 years of age.” 

My solution to the problem would be for the New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) to make changes to the trucks that transfer trash and where these trucks can drive. These changes would be to reroute the traffic of the trucks and enforce a mandate that all waste transportation trucks become electric in New York City. If the DSNY creates designated waste truck lanes in certain areas of the South Bronx where a limited number of people live, the amount of carbon emissions will vastly decrease. They won’t compromise the health of the citizens of the South Bronx. Governor Hochul is already in the process of creating a safer ecosystem like I have described. “Governor Kathy Hochul today advanced clean transportation and access improvements in the Bronx including a major milestone in the State’s transformative, $1.7 billion Hunts Point Access Improvement Project. Phase Two of the project, which rehabilitated key sections of the Bruckner Expressway and Bruckner Boulevard to create a more direct route to the Hunts Point Market, will be completed ahead of schedule and under budget. Governor Hochul also announced a $10 million commitment for clean transportation initiatives in the Bronx. The investments in zero-emission school buses, all-electric mobility options, and electric vehicle charging stations will improve air quality and reduce pollution in an underserved congested area of New York City, which includes disadvantaged communities”

Los Angeles is a great example of a place that has created a designated place for waste transfer trucks. As stated in the article Port of LA Receives $20M DOT Grant to Clear Trucking Bottleneck by the Maritime Executive, “the new rail-roadway will connect trucks directly to the highway system in two directions, resulting in a reduction of 2,500 truck-hour delays daily; a decrease of more than 3,000 metric tons of emissions per year; and a reduction of 1,200 truck miles traveled per day.”  If the DSNY wants to take reducing carbon emissions a step further it would be in their best interest for all the waste transport trucks to become electric-only vehicles to eliminate the amount of carbon emissions that enter the atmosphere. 

Everyone should care about this topic because the South Bronx is part of New York City. There is no cut-off point between the  Bronx and the other burrows, we still share the same air and eventually, the air pollution from the Waste Transfer Stations as well as many other issues in the South Bronx will become everyone’s problem if it isn’t dealt with. There is also the possibility that the South Bronx will run out of space eventually for places to hold and manage the New York City Waste. So the responsibility will fall on another burrow unless we unite as one community to solve the issue.

Polished Verison of the Position Paper

Kriston Waugh

Position Paper – Final Draft 

FIQWS 10108  

Dec 13, 2024

Throughout all the burrows of New York City each area has contributed to the exceeding amount of waste in New York City. Although Manhattan is attempting to become more eco-friendly, other burrows are currently suffering with their own pollution issues and are now having to deal with the increase of the pollution from Manhattan.  One area of all burrows is suffering the most,  the South Bronx proceeded to get worse and zero action is being taken to fix the amount of air pollution from waste transfer stations and the trucks that transfer the waste. The main reason why the Bronx isn’t being treated equally is because of the past racially unjust industrialization on the Bronx itself. 

The issue of Waste Transfer Stations in the South Bronx is a major problem, while it isn’t completely affecting everyone in New York City it is still a huge issue for the South Bronx. This problem is directly affecting the lower income areas of the city with the issues of air pollution, odor issues, water contamination, and potential health risks. The reason I chose the South Bronx was because I was born, raised, and still live in the Bronx, and I have seen these injustices first hand even though I live in the North Bronx. I have noticed the smells, the air quality always being worse compared to other areas, and several factories not just in the South Bronx but spread across the Bronx as a whole. This is an issue that many have not spoken out on because of the repudiation of the Bronx and the status of lower income status of the residents. 

The South Bronx is home to 15 waste transfer systems that process 31% of New York City’s waste. One of the major problems that directly affects the citizens of the South Bronx is the waste transfer system trucks. On average 304 diesel powered waste transfer trucks travel through neighborhoods in the South Bronx daily causing massive amounts of pollution to the citizens that live in the South Bronx. As a direct result from the air pollution near homes there has been a massive increase in asthma and other respiratory related health issues. As stated in Air pollution and public health in the South Bronx, published by South Bronx United, “The South Bronx has some of the highest childhood asthma rates in the country. And while air pollution exposure is not the only thing driving this disparity between the South Bronx and other neighborhoods, new research indicates that more childhood asthma in the South Bronx is attributable to traffic-related air pollution than elsewhere in the city.” 

The waste transfer station’s main issue in the South Bronx is that the transportation of waste causes several amounts of carbon emissions to be released into the atmosphere. This decreases the air quality  causing more cases of asthma and current asthma cases to get worse. Lakhi Godavarthi Raju, Burden on the Bronx: Asthma,Pre-Collegiate Global Health Review “Also known as the “asthma alley”, the Bronx is where is the convergence of some of the largest, noisiest, and air polluted highways meet in all of New York City.” On average children in the South Bronx have a 15.5% chance to develop asthma in their life compared to 8.9% of US children all around the world. Karen Warman, Modifiable Risk Factors for Asthma Morbidity in Bronx Versus Other Inner-City Children, National library of medicine “Pediatric asthma prevalence rates in Bronx children far exceed national pediatric asthma rates. In a school-based sample, 15.5% of 4–5-year-old Bronx children were identified as having asthma compared with 9.2% of New York City students overall  and 8.9% of US children 2 to 17 years of age.” 

My solution to the problem would be for the New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) to make changes to the trucks that transfer trash and where these trucks can drive. These changes would be to reroute the traffic of the trucks and enforce a mandate that all waste transportation trucks become electric in New York City. If the DSNY creates designated waste truck lanes in certain areas of the South Bronx where a limited number of people live, the amount of carbon emissions will vastly decrease. They won’t compromise the health of the citizens of the South Bronx. Governor Hochul is already in the process of creating a safer ecosystem like I have described. “Governor Kathy Hochul today advanced clean transportation and access improvements in the Bronx including a major milestone in the State’s transformative, $1.7 billion Hunts Point Access Improvement Project. Phase Two of the project, which rehabilitated key sections of the Bruckner Expressway and Bruckner Boulevard to create a more direct route to the Hunts Point Market, will be completed ahead of schedule and under budget. Governor Hochul also announced a $10 million commitment for clean transportation initiatives in the Bronx. The investments in zero-emission school buses, all-electric mobility options, and electric vehicle charging stations will improve air quality and reduce pollution in an underserved congested area of New York City, which includes disadvantaged communities”

Los Angeles is a great example of a place that has created a designated place for waste transfer trucks. As stated in the article Port of LA Receives $20M DOT Grant to Clear Trucking Bottleneck by the Maritime Executive, “the new rail-roadway will connect trucks directly to the highway system in two directions, resulting in a reduction of 2,500 truck-hour delays daily; a decrease of more than 3,000 metric tons of emissions per year; and a reduction of 1,200 truck miles traveled per day.”  If the DSNY wants to take reducing carbon emissions a step further it would be in their best interest for all the waste transport trucks to become electric-only vehicles to eliminate the amount of carbon emissions that enter the atmosphere. 

Everyone should care about this topic because the South Bronx is part of New York City. There is no cut-off point between the  Bronx and the other burrows, we still share the same air and eventually, the air pollution from the Waste Transfer Stations as well as many other issues in the South Bronx will become everyone’s problem if it isn’t dealt with. There is also the possibility that the South Bronx will run out of space eventually for places to hold and manage the New York City Waste. So the responsibility will fall on another burrow unless we unite as one community to solve the issue.