A need to understand the composition of solid waste in New York State was identified by the Division of Materials Management of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) and faculty members of the Department of Technology and Society at Stony Brook University (SBU) in 2018. Ongoing discussions regarding the general approach to this issue and the scope of a potential long-term research project to address it resulted in the drafting of a work plan in the spring of 2019. Review of this document led to creation of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) as a vehicle for undertaking the work, using the New York State Environmental Protection Fund as a source of funding for the project. A budget and scope of work was developed and agreed upon in August 2019, which became the basis for the MOU between NYSDEC and SBU.
