ULSTER COUNTY RESOURCE RECOVERY AGENCY REJECTING PROPOSALS FOR LANDFILL ENGINEERING SERVICES RFP AND WILL PAUSE THAT WORK MOMENTARILY TO SEEK ALTERNATIVE SOLUTIONS

February 10th 2025 Submitted by Marc Rider, Executive Director

The Agency will seek proposals for alternative waste processing such as anaerobic digestion, hydrolysis, bio gasification, and other methods. A new RFP for Landfill Engineering Services will be released that includes confirmation of the Cornerstone Study 

Town of Ulster, NY- The Ulster County Resource Recovery Agency (UCRRA, or the Agency) only received one proposal for the Request for Proposals for Landfill Engineering Services. It was decided that it would be in the best interest of the Agency to modify the RFP and put it out at a later date. Prior to resoliciting proposals for landfill engineering services, the Agency has decided to solicit proposals for alternative solutions to landfilling. “ It has always been a priority of the Agency to see if alternative methods of processing the County’s waste exist. We have decided that it would make sense to seek those alternatives and then shift our attention back to the landfill,” said Agency Executive Director Marc Rider.

The Agency will also add a task to the Landfill Engineering Services RFP to confirm the work done in the Cornerstone Report. The newly selected firm will confirm whether the five properties in that report are truly the only five properties in Ulster County where a landfill would be feasible. Rider continued, “ The Agency has always committed to doing our due diligence when it comes to siting a landfill. If that means taking a few more months to ensure that we have been provided with all possible options, then we should do that, and we should make sure the sites identified are really feasible.”

New York State is in the midst of a solid waste crisis. Recent decisions have decreased the long-term capacity of landfills in the state, and there is no landfill currently being considered that will make that situation better. The Agency has a Capital Project Plan that will focus on diverting organics from the waste stream, investigating alternative solutions, and reuse. Implementing the Capital Project Plan will significantly reduce the Agency’s greenhouse gas emissions and will create a sustainable plan for waste management.

Browse the past Press Releases on this topic below:

June 27th 2024 UCRRA RELEASES LANDFILL SITING STUDY: Two Sites in the Town of Wawarsing Recommended for Further Planning and Study