The solution to Sullivan County's trash woes might just be found in some cutting-edge technology being developed by Taylor Recycling Facility.
Montgomery, New York — The solution to Sullivan County's trash woes might just be found in some cutting-edge technology being developed by Taylor Recycling Facility.
The folks at Taylor think so. The recycling company welcomed four Sullivan County legislators and an environmentalist to its headquarters on Neelytown Road yesterday for a tour and a primer on company Chairman Jim Taylor's plan to change the way the world handles its trash.
The legislators toured the company's construction and demolition recycling process, which recycles wood, metal, stone and drywall, then grinds down most of what's left, reducing the volume of waste headed to landfills by 75 percent.
The company is pioneering a gasification process that turns organic garbage (everything from paper to leather to food) into gas which can be used to generate electricity. It reduces by 90 percent the volume of trash that piles up in landfills.
The company is planning to build a prototype in Montgomery by 2007. "We've looked at 39 technologies," said Taylor. "There's only one that's going to work."
The gasification process has attracted attention from around the globe. Dignitaries from places like the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas have sat in the same conference-room chairs occupied yesterday by county legislators Sam Wohl and Ron Hiatt, and listened to the same pitch.
Taylor officials have a meeting today in Ulster County, where officials are trying to decide on a strategy for C&D recycling.
"It's a pretty universal problem, whether it's Albania or Kosovo or Ulster County," said Tom Kacandes, Taylor's vice president of business development.
Sullivan County is trying to obtain a permit from the state Department of Environmental Conservation to expand its landfill. The new trash heap would be 100 feet taller than the existing landfill on lower Broadway in Monticello.
Town of Thompson Supervisor Tony Cellini opposes the expansion, and Monticello's Village Board is considering a local law banning it.
Given the local opposition and the difficulties involved in expansion, the county has been exploring its options.
"We obviously haven't found the right formula that people are comfortable with," said Legislator Leni Binder.
So, could Taylor's technology, which promises to turn trash into electricity, be the answer to Sullivan's trash problems?
Maybe.
Taylor is one of a handful of companies making presentations Tuesday before the Legislature.
"We're always looking at ways to improve our landfill," said Legislator Kathy LaBuda, chairwoman of the Legislature's Public Works Committee. "Tuesday will be the beginning of it."
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