INTERVIEW DETAILS-
Narrator: Martin Bellew
Interviewer: Maggie (Langlinais) Lee
Date: March 22, 2012
Place: 14 University Place, New York University
Duration: 1:34:00
Martin Bellew was born and raised in the Bronx and worked for the Department of Sanitation for twenty-two years. He began on the trucks after college, where he had earned a degree in chemical engineering, and quickly rose through the ranks. He retired as the Director of the Bureau of Waste Disposal, a four-star chief position; it’s the highest uniformed rank in the department. He saw considerable changes in the field throughout the ’80s and ’90s, due to evolving environmental regulations and political pressures.
In this interview, he discusses some of these changes as well as more general details about waste and recycling. He describes transformations at Fresh Kills landfill and explains how the landfill was closed ahead of schedule. He also describes how, following the 9/11 attacks, he oversaw operations at Fresh Kills as the site of the city’s investigation and recovery efforts.
Excerpt: Periods of Change
Excerpt: Looking back at 9/11
Full Interview Audio:
Bellew Interview – Part 1 / 10
Bellew Interview – Part 2 / 10
Bellew Interview – Part 3 / 10
Bellew Interview – Part 4 / 10
Bellew Interview – Part 5 / 10
Bellew Interview – Part 6 / 10
Bellew Interview – Part 7 / 10
Bellew Interview – Part 8 / 10
Bellew Interview – Part 9 / 10
Bellew Interview – Part 10 / 10
