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Since the 2001 closing of Fresh Kills, New York City’s last landfi ll, the City has begun shipping its waste to five other states, hitting New Yorkers in the pocket and trucking millions of unnecessary miles every year. The city needs to find: a) a long term plan how to reduce the costs and environmental impact of shipping our garbage to other states, and b) a long term plan to solve the inherent problem that is too often ignored; ultimately there no place for our garbage. The public must realize this as well. Perhaps we know in theory that we consume too much and recycle too little; but as long as garbage collection is free, why should we care? If our garbage were to pile up on our front lawn instead of in a landfill in Ohio, our priorities would likely be shifted. In reality, the garbage is not disappearing, most of it takes decades if not centuries to biodegrade, and some of it ends up in waterways affecting wildlife such as fi sh and birds and humans who consume the fish with the toxins in the waste. The solution lies in the hands of the city to further its recycling program and create more composting sites, as well as in our hands to be aware of the consequence of our actions and conserve, reuse, and recycle.