Welcome to the Queens Solid Waste Advisory Board (QSWAB)! QSWAB is made up of a diverse group of Queens residents, business owners, civic leaders, and advocates who are committed to working towards a greener, cleaner, and more equitable future. We serve and volunteer as an advisory board to the Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr., city & state local elected officials, community boards and those interested in topics related to solid waste. SWAB members are appointed by the Borough President with input from local elected officials and serve two-year terms.
The Queens Solid Waste Organizing Committee began meeting in January 2018, motivated by a desire to ensure that the borough of Queens was contributing to the broader New York City conversation about how what many call “waste” can instead be seen as a resource. Our group began meeting monthly, first at people’s homes, then in public spaces such as restaurants, bars, nonprofit organizations, and government offices. Our group builds on the history of an earlier QSWAB, which was active from approximately 1985 to 2011. As part of re-activating this citizen’s advisory board, we first consulted members of that group whom we could find to learn more about the group’s history, mission, and impact. Although sadly, no written records from their work exist, the oral histories of these members informed the present group’s focus. In Spring 2021, Queens Solid Waste Advisory Board became formalized with appointed members. Currently, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and Bronx have active SWABs.
The legal precedent for the borough having a SWAB can be found in the City’s Administrative Code (§ Title 16-318), which specifies the SWAB’s function as responsibility for submitting to the Borough President a recycling plan and annually advising him or her on…
1. annual recycling and reduction goals and the methods proposed to achieve such goals;
2. means to encourage community participation in the recycling program; and;
3. means to promote the recycling program and educate the public with regard to the program. In each borough, the citizens’ board shall assume all the responsibilities and functions of the borough’s citizens’ advisory committee on resource recovery.
The Administrative Code (§ Title 16-317) also lays out the requirements of SWAB membership, which include at least 20 Queens residents representing a diverse range of constituencies including community boards, recycling and carting industry members, environmental organizations, government agencies, labor and business groups, property owners, tenant organizations and members of the general public.
We support the goal outlined in OneNYC to send zero waste to landfills by 2030 through reduction, reuse, recycling, and redesign practices. We currently meet over Zoom due to COVID-19. To register for upcoming QSWAB monthly public general meetings, please visit our calendar. All meetings are open to the public and recordings of past meetings are on the Queens SWAB YouTube channel.
Find us on Twitter Follow us on Facebook Connect with us on Instagram Watch us on YouTube Join us on LinkedIn