solid waste

Writing the Future of Solid Waste + Materials Management

H2M is seeking to change the way we think about waste. We offer a wide variety of solid waste and materials management solutions for clients in both the public and private sectors, with a focus on circularity of materials and natural resources. Our firm’s experience in the water, wastewater, and municipal sectors is fueling development of services that promote the recovery of materials, water, and energy from the waste stream and infrastructure.

Our architects, engineers, planners, geologists, and environmental scientists are adept at engaging communities to foster local buy-in, and possess a thorough understanding of the rules and regulations that guide facility development and waste disposal plans. H2M offers a wide variety of solutions for clients in the solid waste industry and brings a thorough understanding of solid waste management regulations, operations, and long-term planning.

Our team also has significant public sector waste management facility experience. We are exceptionally well-versed in non-landfill solutions to waste management needs for both the public and private sectors, particularly with respect to Long Island, where solid waste landfills were barred per New York State’s 1983 Long Island Landfill Law.

Our comprehensive consulting services include facility design; construction of transfer stations, landfills, and organics management facilities; Local Solid Waste Management Plans; facility and environmental permitting; waste stream analysis; groundwater and air monitoring; and operational services related to collection and recycling program management and design. We also offer environmental monitoring, site analysis, and long-term strategic planning services.

H2M is a member of both the Solid Waste Association of North America and the American Public Works Association, ensuring that our team is always at the forefront of the latest solid waste and materials management strategies and technologies. At H2M, we pride ourselves on our ability to bring your projects from concept to reality.

Patricia DelCol

Senior Vice President, Municipal Market Director

Patricia DelCol has more than 30 years of municipal management experience, with a specific focus in engineering, environmental protection, solid waste and recycling, and overall municipal operations.

A decade of her experience was spent as the Deputy Supervisor of the Town of Huntington, where she developed and managed $190 million operating and $15 million capital budgets, managed all capital improvement efforts, and communicated with all County, State, and Federal regulatory agencies on the behalf of the Town. Ms. DelCol’s solid waste management experience also includes developing and managing award-winning Covanta waste-to-energy facilities in the Towns of Babylon and Huntington, as well as overseeing the capping and closure of the East Northport landfill. Ms. DelCol is also a former Business Manager at Covanta Babylon, where she managed waste contracts, waste deliveries, scale operations and vendor-related contracts at the facility.

Joseph Cline, P.E.

Senior Associate, Practice Leader – Water Resources

Joseph Cline, P.E. holds more than 35 years of experience in engineering management and consulting for municipalities on Long Island, including over six years as the Town of Huntington’s Director of Engineering Services, where he directed the operation of the Town’s engineering services and managed $6 million annual operations and $5 million annual capital improvement budgets.

Mr. Cline’s solid waste management experience includes the permitting, design and construction of multiple landfill facilities and solid waste transfer stations. Mr. Cline was the Project Manager and prepared DEC Certification Reports for landfill and transfer station projects in the Towns of Smithtown, East Hampton, and Brookhaven.

Joe is currently performing the post closure monitoring of the Town of Hempstead landfills in Oceanside and Merrick. He is also playing a key role in the permitting, design and construction of a new rail transfer station in Medford, NY, that will safely transport approximately 2,000 tons per day of construction and demolition debris off Long Island when completed.

Climate Act compliance
Facility design
Food waste composting solutions
Funding options for planning, recycling, and recovery
Integrated engineering services to recover energy, water, and natural resources
Landfill reclamation and sustainability planning
Monitoring and remediation (air, groundwater, landfill)
Municipal collection services (program assessments and bid documents)
Local Solid Waste Management Planning (NYSDEC LSWMP)
NYSDEC Part 360 Series
Organics management and compost facility design
Permits (local, state, and federal)

Public outreach and environmental justice consulting
Rail transfer facilities
Recycling and outreach program design/analysis
SMART/PAYT flow control programs
Solar energy and other landfill reclamation options
Solid waste plan implementation support
Solutions for construction and demolition debris
Strategy planning for disposal and recovery facilities and programs
Transfer stations for the future
Waste and recovery generation estimates and future projections
Waste-to-energy process evaluations
Weigh scale replacement design

Projects

Boundary, Topographic, and Construction Survey of Landfill

The Town of Hempstead called upon H2M to provide a boundary survey of the 75-acre Merrick Landfill. The survey was needed to comply with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s (NYSDEC) approval process. The site’s landscape is diverse and challenging, with 28 acres comprising eight different buildings, truck scales, curbed interior roadways, and parking fields, along with approximately 47 acres of landfill. Through a combination of conventional survey techniques, global positioning systems, robotic survey equipment, and aerial photography, H2M completed a thorough survey that satisfied the NYSDEC’s approval requirements and could also be used for future site improvements and upgrades. Since the original survey was completed, H2M has continued conducting additional survey assignments on the site using original expanded survey baselines. In 2015, National Grid installed new gas mains throughout the site based on H2M’s mapping of the existing onsite utilities. After the gas mains were installed, H2M located the new gas mains with robotic survey equipment and created metes and bounds descriptions around them. In July 2016, H2M completed a detailed topographic survey of approximately five acres. H2M’s civil engineers then used this survey to develop a site plan for a new office building.

Landfill Monitoring

H2M provided quarterly monitoring of environmental facilities at the 179-acre landfill for the Town of Clarkstown. H2M monitored the perimeter groundwater monitoring wells, methane gas wells, adjacent surface waters, leachate mound, and leachate storage tank discharge. H2M also performed a site inspection for vectors at the closed and capped landfill. The monitoring itself included sampling and laboratory analysis based on the NYSDEC-approved Sampling & Analysis Plan and the 6NYCRR Part 360 regulations, and a summary report of the monitoring program results were submitted to NYSDEC on behalf of the Town.

Solid Waste Transfer Station Evaluation

H2M conducted an evaluation for the long-term operation of the Town of Clarkstown’s municipal waste transfer station in West Nyack, NY. H2M performed a structural evaluation of the 23,000-square-foot transfer station and 190-square-foot weigh scale buildings, and an operational assessment of manpower and mechanical equipment. The firm also prepared an engineering report detailing the findings of the evaluation and outlining recommendations for alternatives for future long-term operations. As a result of this report, the Town of Clarkstown went out to public bid for operation of the transfer station, bringing considerable cost savings for the processing and disposal of solid waste

Radiological Survey

The Town of Oyster Bay hired H2M to perform an evaluation of the potential presence of radiological contamination at the former Syosset Landfill and to locate radiological sources if noted above background levels. During most of the active life of the landfill there were no restrictions on waste brought to and deposited in the landfill. A considerable range of contaminants have been found within the landfill in the past, including, but not limited to heavy metals, chlorinated solvents, various organic compounds, and other constituent chemicals. H2M surveyed the property in 2018 utilizing a Trimble Geo7x GPS instrument to document the path surrounding the perimeter of the landfill. In concert, a Ludlum Model 2241 Geiger Survey Meter with a handheld Model 44-9 Alpha, Beta, and Gamma Detector was utilized to screen for radiological detections at the site. In general, site measurements were consistent with local background measurements and United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission statements regarding typical U.S. resident exposures to radionuclides. A summary report of the findings was provided to the Town Engineer.

Large Scale Solar

The Town of Clarkstown, interested in saving money on utility bills and reducing its carbon footprint, saw an opportunity to utilize vacant land at its landfill as the site of a solar farm. The Town selected H2M because of the firm’s extensive experience with landfills and NYSDEC regulations. The project comprised the evaluation and construction of a 13-acre photovoltaic solar field producing 2.364 megawatts of power—enough electricity to power approximately 2,000 homes annually. This solar field is the first of its kind in New York State to be built on a closed capped municipal landfill on a commercial scale. H2M’s pursuit of NYSERDA grants ensured that this project, estimated to save the Town approximately $4.6 million in utility costs over 30 years, was constructed at zero cost to the Town. A 20-year Power Purchase Agreement was negotiated with the project developer on a leased portion of the Town landfill, allowing the Town to take over solar field operations after 20 years. The excess energy produced by the Solar Field is being sent back to the utility grid and the Town is credited the excess kilowatts. In 2015, the solar field project was awarded Project of the Year by the New York State Society of Professional Engineers.

Post-Closure Environmental Monitoring

The Town of Hempstead Department of Sanitation retained H2M to provide post-closure environmental monitoring services at the Town’s municipal landfills in Merrick and Oceanside. At the Merrick Landfill, H2M conducts semi-annual groundwater and surface water sampling. Groundwater samples are collected from 11 monitoring wells and surface water samples are collected from three locations along the landfill perimeter. In addition, H2M conducts monthly landfill gas monitoring to measure methane and hydrogen sulfide. On a quarterly basis, H2M also monitors the ambient air downwind of the gas vents for methane and hydrogen sulfide. At the Oceanside Landfill, H2M conducts semi-annual groundwater sampling and annual and surface water sampling. Groundwater samples are collected from eight monitoring wells and surface water samples are collected from 11 locations in the channels and canals along the landfill perimeter. All semi-annual groundwater and surface water monitoring data is tabulated and compared against the applicable standards and/or guidance values. In addition, the annual report addresses vector control, landfill maintenance, and landfill gas monitoring conducted by the Town.

Do you know…

H2M’s environmental service covers the following markets listed below, please click “learn more” to view each market.

education

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emergency services

H2M’s architects and engineers apply their experiences as emergency service personnel to envision how a facility will be used on a day-to-day basis.

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energy

H2M supports reforming America’s energy vision on all types of power generation, transmission and distribution projects by building on our proven success since 1933.

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