A large amount of worn clothing is burnt, or worse, deposited in landfills. In New York City alone, the clothes disposed in landfills every year amount to 100'000 tonnes. The City of New York collaborated with retail partners, recyclers, collectors and resellers to create a campaign called #WearNext that should spread awareness for this issue. As a result, a widely shared interactive map displaying points to drop off used clothes was created and shared, and a campaign was run via posters, press and social media. This led to a significant increase of drop-offs and interest from other cities.

#WearNext textile recycling campaign

Rather than building a water treatment plant, New York ensured the quality of water in the streams and rivers of its watershed in the Catskill Mountains and in so doing avoided the need to build an expensive water filtration system in the city. This meant buying up natural lands and protecting them from development, funding septic system upgrades and infrastructure repairs in the watershed communities and offering financial incentives for farmers to shift to non polluting agricultural practices.

Invest in ecosystem services for longer term positive impacts on water supply

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With more than 1.6 billion square feet of rooftops in New York City, green roofs and solar panels can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, providing a rainwater buffer, purified air, lower ambient temperature and noise, higher solar panel efficiency and increased biodiversity. In particular, the sedums, herbs, grasses or host plants that are included in the a green roof promote the habitat of birds, butterflies and insects, especially in the city environment which is mainly concrete and asphalt.Under specific requirements, New York City provides property tax abatement for building owners who decide to install a green roof and solar panels on it.The Department's sustainability experts guide building owners through the construction application process to install solar panels and green roofs. They also assist with properly completing the required documents and help applicants meet key tax abatement deadlines.

New York City provides tax incentives for projects combining green roofs and solar panels

Several municipalities in the US (Austin, Texas; Boulder, Colorado; Hennepin County, Minnesota; Portland, Oregon; New York City; San Francisco; and Seattle) have passed organic waste bans or mandatory organics recycling laws. In Portland, Oregon, a city council ordinance will require businesses to separate and divert food waste in 2020.