Dive Brief:

• The Cortland County Legislature in New York rejected in a 9-7 vote last week a proposal to import waste ash from Onondaga County's trash plant, which would have provided a liner for the county landfill.
• The “liner plan” fell under a proposal that would also allow Cortland County to ship 35,000 tons of trash to the Onondaga County incinerator in exchange for importing the ash.
• By shipping trash out for incineration at the OCRRA plant, the county would avoid landfill costs and capitalize on the imported ash. The decision is not final, some officials say, according to Syracuse.com.

Dive Insight:

The pros and cons of burning trash continue to be examined in regions beyond New York, as proponents and opponents voice their stands in Cortland and Onondago Counties.

Prior to the returned verdict, Legislator Susan Briggs said, "A yes vote on this tonight is a yes vote on ash for trash. I will be voting no."

Onondaga County proponents of the deal said allowing OCRRA to deposit roughly 90,000 tons of ash a year from its plant at the Cortland County landfill would save in transportation costs and tipping fees.

The two counties have been working on a waste management partnership for a few years, and some of the proponents of the shot-down proposal believe the plan is not dead.

Kristen Lawton, speaking for OCRRA, said the vote was a "litmus test'' for the broader ash-for-trash agreement, but not necessarily the final verdict.