LSWMP
Local Solid Waste Management Plan 2016-2025
Thank you for taking the time to visit this page and learn more about the Town of Smithtown’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). NYS has designated the Town of Smithtown as a local solid waste planning unit.
Below please find some information about LSWMPs as well as a link to the Town’s adopted LSWMP documents.
What is a Local Solid Waste Management Plan (LSWMP)?
A LSWMP is a planning document and is prepared in conjunction with NYS.
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 them 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) Organism (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).
How does a LSWMP benefit a Town and its residents?
The LSWMP contains a “blueprint” to reduce solid waste and increase recycling.
The benefits of this to the Town and its residents 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 were 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.