Youth Council Presents Ideas for Improved Waste Management at NYCHA

Some young NYCHA residents are thinking more critically about how NYCHA can improve its waste management practices.  

Calling for the use of large trash and recycling bins with wraparound designs and messaging as well as strategically placed signage at developments, the residents proposed such improvements for the culmination project of a new sustainability-focused youth council. 

The GreenNYCHA Youth Leadership Council allows residents ages 16 to 24 to lead virtual sessions where they research, develop, and propose solutions and projects on environmental issues at NYCHA developments. Six NYCHA youth recently completed the free 12-week program after learning about solar energy, green infrastructure, energy efficiency, and waste management/recycling practices across the Authority. 

The council was established in partnership with the Fund for Public Housing and the National Grid public utility. At the group’s final virtual meeting on March 8, the young residents spoke about local efforts to address climate change and outlined NYCHA’s Sustainability Agenda, a roadmap for creating safer and healthier homes for residents across the city.     

Focusing on NYCHA waste management initiatives, the leadership council members presented proposals such as providing additional trash/recycling bins in the front and back of buildings to encourage proper disposal and a cleaner environment. These would be the large, “bigbelly”-style bins that could have wraparound images indicating which types of trash and recyclables go in them.  

The students said they hope that funding related to the Sustainability Agenda could help support such improvements in their communities and other developments at NYCHA.  

“I was really glad to see all the different ideas and proposals that you all had,” Clyde Drayton, a NYCHA program manager who works on waste management issues, told the youth council members. 

Addressing the youth council presentations, Rayford Hooks, Manager in the Resident Engagement Department, said NYCHA’s sustainability efforts have included creating green committees focused on tree plantings and gardening, and he is encouraged to see youth taking a role in NYCHA’s work to become a more sustainable agency.  

“I think there’s nothing greater than really having that conversation pushed by young people,” he said.  

Terry Yarde, a manager at program partner National Grid, said she was also impressed by the residents’ proposals developed through the GreenNYCHA council, adding that the public utility will continue to support such programs. 

“It’s great to see that this younger generation is focused and entrusted in green, clean initiatives at NYCHA and beyond,” Ms. Yarde remarked. 

In addition to giving the participants a chance to share their voice on various Authority programs in their neighborhoods, the leadership council helped the youth get a better understanding of their role when it comes to climate change, energy preservation, and sustainability, said Khadija Charles, a program coordinator. 

“Thinking about these things and giving them time and energy speaks so highly of all the possibilities we have to make such great changes in the future,” she told the council presenters.