Dive Brief:
- Railcars scheduled to collect waste in Long Island, NY wound up in the wrong state, according to officials.
- Waste was already piled high in Long Island due to an influx of tourists, who generate a greater volume of trash during the summer months, when the community swells with vacationers. 5,000 tons of waste are awaiting pick-up.
- The train ended up in New Jersey said a spokesperson for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the organization that regulates the waste industry.
Dive Insight:
The spokesperson for CSX said that the freight cars are in demand, and the company is dealing with congestion as a result. Transfer stations were already overwhelmed with large volumes of trash. Waste is being hauled away via truck, but the pace of the incoming trash outweighs the ability of the fleet to transport it. On July 18, the DEC gave the trains a temporary emergency authorization to transport the municipal waste off of Long Island.
