Illustration of trash can with garbage overflowing.

It’s time to talk trash.

Compared to the average American, a typical Long Island resident recycles less and produces more garbage.

After we put it to the curb, our trash leaves our homes, but do we ever think about where it goes after that? Unfortunately, it does not magically disappear.

Currently, 70% of the trash we generate in the Huntington and Smithtown communities is incinerated at our local Waste to-Energy facility in Huntington and then disposed of as ash at the Brookhaven Landfill.

Illustration of trash can.

With no other landfill alternatives on Long Island,
our community will have to transition to moving almost all of our ash, waste and construction debris off Long Island.

Trucking is not a sustainable solution.
It creates additional traffic on our highways, strains our infrastructure, contributes to pollution – and will dramatically increase disposal costs that we the taxpayers pay.

As we reach a critical point, alternative options need to be considered.

Artist's rendering of the proposed Townline Rail Terminal, overhead view.
  • Townline Rail Terminal is designed to handle only the disposal needs of Huntington and Smithtown.

    The local Waste-To-Energy facility operates close to or at capacity incinerating the waste collected in Huntington and Smithtown. Townline Rail Terminal is proposed to match this capacity and will not be a solution to handle all of Long Island’s ash and debris.

  • Expected increase in tax revenue and jobs for the local community.

    Trucking all ash generated at the local Waste-to-Energy facility off Long Island would be costly to the taxpayers of both towns. Rail transportation, a cleaner and more economical method, would help save taxpayer money. An increase in local jobs both during and after construction can also be expected.

  • Ash byproducts will be enclosed in steel railcar containers.

    After the half mile transport via truck to Townline Rail Terminal – passing no residential homes – ash will be transferred into railcar containers, enclosed and secured. All loading and unloading of incinerated ash will occur inside the facility, minimizing dust and noise. The transfer station will be equipped with dust suppression, negative air system filtration and high-speed roll up doors.

  • A more efficient round trip.

    Townline Rail Terminal will facilitate the import of aggregates, equipment and lumber which is currently trucked into businesses in the Kings Park industrial corridor. This will make the return trip of the empty waste railcars more efficient, and further reduce truck traffic in our region. These materials would serve businesses within 2 miles of the Terminal, within the local industrial complex.

  • Less trucks on local roads.

    With a half mile trip between the local Waste-to-Energy facility and Townline Rail Terminal along commercial, non-residential roads, fewer trucks will be on Long Island’s highway, reducing traffic congestion and emissions.

Further Information

Get answers to frequently asked questions or concerns about the Townline Rail Terminal project.

CarlsonCorp, Inc.

Learn more about the Carlson family history of construction and manufacturing in Kings Park and on Long Island.

View and download documents related to Townline Rail Terminal or about Long Island Waste Management.

Town of Smithtown, NY.

Visit the Town of Smithtown website to view their Questions & Answers page for Townline Rail Terminal.