On Tuesday, March 10, 2009, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz joined Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Sanitation Commissioner John J. Doherty at the Varick Avenue I Transfer Station to announce that North Brooklyn’s residential and municipal solid waste will be shipped by rail rather than truck. As the next phase in the City’s Solid Waste Management Plan (SWMP), the move will eliminate more than 40 tractor trailer trips every day, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving air quality.

“When it comes to waste management, Brooklyn has not been a “NIMBY,” said Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, “You could even say our borough has been a “YIMBY”—we are certainly willing to do our fair share. But thanks to the Mayor, and the environmental justice movement, we have been able to improve the way we handle the responsibilities that come with living in the greatest city in the world. The New York City Solid Waste Management Plan is a godsend to NYC residents, especially those families in neighborhoods like Greenpoint, Williamsburg, and Bushwick, who will reap major health benefits from this new rail plan—and finally get some of the environmental justice they deserve.”