System Overview

There’s more than one way to save the world a little each day. That’s why OCRRA’s system for solid waste management follows the resource management hierarchy approved by the US EPA and NYS DEC. This hierarchy ranks the following in order of preference:

  1. Reduction and Reuse
  2. Recycling and Composting
  3. Recovery
  4. Burial

With help from Onondaga County residents, OCRRA has been using this hierarchy to turn our community into an environmental leader.

Reduction, Reuse, Recycling and Compost:
OCRRA has a series of programs that make reduction, reuse, recycling and composting easier for community residents and businesses. And while many communities struggle to hit even a 20% recycling rate, Onondaga County recycles close to 60% of its waste.

Plus, OCRRA offers numerous programs for disposing of hazardous and difficult-to-manage materials, because some things can’t just be thrown out or recycled.

Recovery (of Energy):
With our state-of-the-art Waste-to-Energy Facility, OCRRA is able to turn trash into power for our community. The facility performs two processes – it turns non-recyclable trash into electricity, and it recovers metal for recycling. These processes help fund many of the services that OCRRA offers to the community.

Burial:
At the end of its journey, trash leaves the Waste-to-Energy Facility in the form of ash – an ultimate reduction in volume of about 90%. This byproduct and other non-burnable waste are currently transported to the High Acres Landfill near Rochester, NY.

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