ONLINE EDITION FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 14, 2001

Opinion

The Town of Hempstead Solid Waste Advisory Committee (SWAC) will meet on Wednesday, Sept. 12, at 5 p.m. - 4th floor Conference Room - Hempstead Town Hall.

At the Aug. 8 SWAC meeting, plant manager Bill Wareham reported that the problem of over-capacity deliveries to the plant had been somewhat alleviated. It is anticipated that hopefully, it would not be necessary to continue to divert waste to the other facilities out of state.

Members of the Citizens Committee for Civic Action (CCCA) question whether the over-capacity situation is the result of contractual commitments to handle waste from sources outside of the town beyond the ability of the Hempstead plant to do so. Regardless of the cause, steps should be taken to prevent a repeat of the problems. There have been some odor complaints from residents in surrounding communities. Perhaps increased truck traffic caused by line-ups to unload, particularly during hot weather, coupled with a continuously full pit and the need to keep plant doors open, contributed to the odors emanating from the facility.

We were advised that the latest DEC testing of the incinerator ash from Hempstead revealed all non-hazardous results. Levels of Lead and Cadmium were reported as "non-detectable." June Deliveries APHIS Waste - 124 tons "Special" Waste - 537 tons APHIS Waste - 0 tons "Special" Waste - 505 tons Note: No APHIS waste was accepted in July. The plan to institute the policy whereby vehicles transporting waste from Brookhaven to Hempstead and ash from Hempstead to Brookhaven could be carried round trip by the same trucks has been put on hold. Those vehicles now being used for solid waste or ash have been found to be incompatible to transport both. They are simply not designed to carry the two very different loads. A solution is being sought, so that one truck can successfully transport both waste products in both directions. Program dates and locations have been selected for next year by the town recycling coordinator, Lois Beedenbender. The information will be mailed to Town of Hempstead residents. 2001 has been a most successful year for recycling providing health and safety benefits for all. Commissioner Ronan reported that a plant radiation detector was tripped and an alarm sounded, indicating the presence of some radioactive material in a truck load. The sensitivity of the detectors can respond to a miniscule amount of material. The truck was being held at the Merrick sanitation facility to see if the suspect material had degraded enough to be removed at the Merrick site. It was announced that Bill Wareham will be leaving his position as manager of the Town of Hempstead plant. He has accepted the position of regional director of operation technology for all six American Ref-fuel facilities. Bill will be missed by the members of SWAC. He has been with us since 1988, attending all meetings. He has provided us with the cooperation and information agreed to in the 1987 DEC authorized stipulation of agreement between American Ref-fuel and the Citizens Committee for Civic Action. Bill Wareham will still be available to assist with any issues that may arise. We congratulate him on his well deserved promotion and have no doubts about his continued success. (The writer is chair of CCCA.)