Final Ruling Against 9/11 Remains Transfer

Judge Alvin Hellerstein recently decided against the lawsuit raised by 9/11 families. The plaintiffs (WTC Families for a Proper Burial) want the city to move World Trade Center debris from the Fresh Kills landfill in Staten Island to a burial site. The judge said, “Not every wrong can be addressed through the judicial process. The grave harm suffered by the plaintiffs in this case is undeniable. But the jurisdiction of a court is limited.” Sad as it is to think that any human remains may have been overlooked during the exhaustive sifting process, the family’s request may be impractical now for financial and logistical reasons. However, couldn’t New York City make arrangements to set aside a proper burial area in the vicinity of Fresh Kills? The landfill won’t be a landfill forever.

West Side Waste Plant Plan Passed

Mayor Bloomberg finally got state approval to build an $80 million trash-transfer facility near Gansevoort Street on the Hudson River in Manhattan. Construction is slated to begin in 2010. The station will process 128,000 tons of metal, paper, plastic and glass for shipment to the recycling plant in Red Hook, Brooklyn. This is the final piece to Bloomberg’s overhaul of New York City’s Solid Waste Management Plan. Mayor Rudy Giuliani initiated the city’s trash mess when he closed the Fresh Kills Landfill in Staten Island. To his credit, Mayor Bloomberg has intelligently dug us out of the garbage around us. City residents can all breathe a bit easier once again.