Environmental Waste Management

Departmental Mission:

To develop and implement programs and policies designed to protect and enhance the environment within the Town of Huntington as it relates to solid and liquid wastes and recycling. To develop policy and draft Town legislation pertaining to matters that would protect or improve the quality of the environment or natural resources of the Town by providing programs that deal with solid and liquid waste and its effective treatment or disposal. To develop and implement public education programs on proper disposal of solid and liquid waste. Explore and create new programs in recycling, waste reduction or removal and wastewater treatment programs. Implement new State and Federal mandates as they relate to Town programs and facilities. These departmental goals will further the Town’s strategic goals of implementing energy efficient programs, provide education to residents and further the Town’s mission of fostering a sustainable Huntington.

Operating Environment:

The Waste Management Administrative Division of Environmental Waste Management oversees all programs that deal with solid and liquid waste management within the Town. This includes daily interaction of management with various divisions under Environmental Waste Management, advisory committees, special interest groups, government agencies and any other groups that fall under the purview of this department. To some degree, external issues such as State and Federal mandates affect departmental programs, grant monies, funding sources and public support for projects.

The Resource Recovery Facility is operated in full compliance with all applicable New York State and Federal Regulations for solid waste disposal. The available waste stream is subject to seasonal and economic fluctuations, however, sufficient waste is obtained from non-town sources as needed to maintain full capacity operation.

The Consolidated Refuse District provides sanitation, recycling and yard-waste collection through both municipal employees and private contractors to the residents of the Town’s hamlets.

Monitoring of the closed and capped East Northport Landfill’s methane gas and groundwater are mandated as part of the Record of Decision issued by New York State and is conducted, in full compliance with this decision, on a periodic basis by outside firms managed by Department staff. The integrity of the landfill cap and the gas control system are also periodically inspected and maintained in good operating condition.

Increased awareness of the Town’s recycling efforts coupled with ever expanding programs has greatly increased the volume of residential traffic at the Town of Huntington Recycling Center.

The Smithtown Cell 6 Facility still accepts Construction & Demolition materials from residents of both Smithtown and Huntington and transfers the waste to another facility. The Town of Smithtown manages the facility but Department staff reconciles the operating expenses as per an inter-municipal agreement.

The Huntington Sewer District operates a State permitted facility capable of processing 2.6 million gallons per day of sewage from the over 3,400 parcels located within the district.

The Centerport Sewer District, through an inter-municipal agreement with the Village of Northport, processes the sewage generated within the district at the Northport Sewerage Treatment Plant. The Town maintains the sewer lines and pump stations used to convey the sewage to the Village and compensates the Village based on the annual flows.

The Waste Water Disposal District continued to receive significant quantities of scavenger waste at the Scavenger Waste Facility (SWF) where Town licensed liquid waste haulers dispose of sewage extracted from cesspools and septic systems.