Skip Navigation
Search
College of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Department of Technology and Society
HomeAdministrationCore FacultyDavid Tonjes

David Tonjes

PhotoResearch Associate Professor

Ph.D., Stony Brook University

Active and Recent Funding

  • Town of Brookhaven (LI,NY): "Waste Management & Innovation." 2024 annual renewal, $20,100.
  • New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (Environmental Protection Fund): "New York State Solid Waste Characterization" (with E. Hewitt; Gang He, co-PI). 2019-2025, $4,355,776.
  • Environmental Research and Education Fund: "The Influence of Social Norms on Recycling Behavior in Urban Multi-Family Buildings" (E.  Hewitt, PI). 2019-2022, $149,984
  • New York State Association for Solid Waste Management: "Life Cycle Analysis Models Explained." 2019, $12,122.
  • New York State Association for Solid Waste Management: "Local Compliance with State Regulations " (research intern). 2018-2019, $7,999.

Research Interests:

Solid Waste Management:

  •      Processes (waste generation, waste composition, recycling)
  •      Impacts (primarily to groundwater)
  •      Energy potential of landfills
  •      Policies (local programs, Extended Producer Responsibility, economics)

Impacts to Ground Water from Local Waste Management Facilities
Long Island Ground Water Dynamics
Sanitary Waste Management Impacts on Local Estuaries

Stony Brook University Research Groups:

Waste Data and Analysis Center (Director) www.wasteinfo.info

Institute of Gas Innovation and Technology 

Long Island Groundwater research Institute

Waste Reduction and Management Institute

Some Recent Publications:

Firmansyah, F., I. Park, M. Corona, O. Aphale, A. Ahuja, M. Johnston, KL Thyberg, E. Hewitt, and DJ Tonjes. 2024. Variation in municipal solid waste generation and management across time and space. Resources, Conservation and Recycling 204:107472. 16 pp. DOI 10:1016/j.resconrec.2024.107472

Hewitt, E., Y. Wang, A. Eck, and DJ Tonjes. 2023. What do my neighbors think? The influence of social norm interventions on recycling behavior in urban multifamily apartment buildings. Resources Conservation and Recycling Advances18:200156. DOI 10:1016/j.rcradv.2023.200156.

Tonjes, DJ, KL Thyberg and E. Hewitt. 2021. Better public decisions on COVID-19: a thought experiment in metrics. Public Health in Practice 2:100208. DOI 10:1016/j.puhip.2021.100208.

Taboada, S. L. Clark, J. Lindberg, DJ Tonjes, and D. Mahajan. 2021. Quantifying the potential of renewable natural gas to support a reformed energy landscape: Estimates for New York State. Energies 14:3834. DOI 10.3390/en14133834

Tonjes, DJ, O. Aphale, L. Clark, and KT Thyberg. 2018. Conversion from dual stream to single stream recycling results in nuanced effects on revenues and waste stream amounts and composition. Resources, Conservation and Recycling 138:151-159. 

Tonjes, DJ, AE McElroy, RK Barnes-Pohjonen, DV Ninivaggi, W. Dawydiak, GT Greene, and BJ Brownawell. 2018. Fate of methoprene in temperate salt marsh ditches following aerial applications. Science of the Total Environment 642:394-407.

Thyberg, KL, and DJ Tonjes. 2017. The environmental impacts of alternative food waste treatment technologies in the US. Journal of Cleaner Production 158:101-108.

Aphale, O., and DJ Tonjes. 2017. Multi-model validation assessment of groundwater flow simulation models using area metric approach. Groundwater 55(2):219-226.

Chai, X., DJ Tonjes, and D. Mahajan. 2016. Methane emissions as energy reservoir: Context, scope, causes and mitigation strategies. Progress in Energy and Combustion Science 56:33-70.

Thyberg, KL, and DJ Tonjes. 2016. Drivers of food wastage and their implications for sustainable policy. Resources, Conservation and Recycling 106:110-123.

Thyberg, KL, DJ Tonjes, and J. Gurevitch. 2015. Quantification of food waste disposal in the United States: a meta-analysis.Environmental Science and Technology. 49(24):13946-13953.

Mahajan, D., DJ Tonjes, S. Mamalis, R. Boudreaux, JK Hasty, D. Xin, Y. Zhao, J. Cao, W. Zhao and X. Chai. 2015. Effective landfill gas management strategies for methane control and reuse technology. Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy 7:041511 (doi: 10.1063/1.4929383) (special topic on: U.S. and China Ecopartnerships: Approaches to Challenges in Energy and Environment)

Thyberg, KL, and DJ Tonjes. 2015. A management framework for municipal solid waste systems and its application to food waste prevention. Systems 3:133-151 (doi:10:3390/systems3030133) (special issue: Systems Thinking and Management Sciences Methodologies)

Tonjes, D.J., O. Aphale, L. Clark, and K.L. Thyberg. 2015. Analysis of the Change from Dual Stream to Single Stream Recycling for the Town of Brookhaven (Long Island, NY). Waste Reduction and Management Institute, School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University. 64 pp. 

Aphale, O., K.L. Thyberg, and D.J. Tonjes. 2015. Differences in waste generation, waste composition, and source separation across three waste districts in a New York suburb. Resources, Conservation and Recycling 99:19-28.

Song, H-G, M. Restivo, A van de Rijt, L. Scarlatos, D. Tonjes, and A. Orlov. 2015. The hidden gender effect in online group work: An experimental study of team behavior under anonymity. Computers in Human Behavior 50:274-282.

New York State Waste Characterization Project Reports 

Wang, Y., F. Firmansyah, S. Manzur, K. Thyberg, E. Hewitt, and DJ Tonjes. In review. 2022 New York State Waste Characterization. Task 1 2022 Annual Report, MOU #AM 11643. Waste Data and Analysis Center, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY. Waste Data and Analysis Center Contribution #34.

Tonjes, DJ, S. Manzur, Y. Wang, F. Firmansyah, K. Thyberg, and E. Hewitt. 2022. New York State Waste Characterization. Task 1 Annual Report. Waste Data and Analysis Center, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY. Waste Data and Analysis Center Contribution #17.

Firmansyah, F., Y. Wang, S. Manzur, S. Brannan-Douglas, J. Lee, A. Lora, J. O’Halloran, E. Hewitt, KL Thyberg, and DJ Tonjes. 2021. New York State Materials Recycling Facilities Report 2019. Waste Data and Analysis Center, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY. 90 pp. Waste Data and Analysis Center Contribution #7.

Site-specific Reports

Tonjes, DJ, S. Lee, F. Firmansyah, S. Manzur, KL Thyberg, and E. Hewitt. 2024. Westchester County MSW and Recyclables Waste Characterization July 2021. Waste Data and Analysis Center, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY. Waste Data and Analysis Center Contribution #32.

Firmansyah, F., K. Thyberg, E. Hewitt, and DJ Tonjes. 2024. Ulster County Resource Recovery Agency Waste Characterization July 2022. Waste Data and Analysis Center, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY. Waste Data and Analysis Center Contribution #21.

Tonjes, DJ, S. Manzur, K. Thyberg, and E Hewitt. 2023. Otsego County MSW and Recyclables Waste Characterization June 2021. Waste Data and Analysis Center, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY. Waste Data and Analysis Center Contribution #30.

Wang, Y., EL Hewitt, KL Thyberg, and DJ Tonjes. 2023. Delaware County MSW and Recyclables Waste Characterization September 2021. Waste Data and Analysis Center, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY. Waste Data and Analysis Center Contribution #18.

Tonjes, DJ, F. Firmansyah, S. Manzur, K. Thyberg, and E. Hewitt. 2023. Town of Islip Waste Characterization June 2021. Waste Data and Analysis Center, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY. Waste Data and Analysis Center Contribution #24.

Walker, G., E. Hewitt, K. Thyberg, and DJ Tonjes. 2023. Jefferson County MSW and Recyclables Waste Characterization July 2021. Waste Data and Analysis Center, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY. Waste Data and Analysis Center Contribution # 16.

Wang, Y., E. Hewitt, K. Thyberg, and DJ Tonjes. 2023. Town of Southold Transfer Station MSW and Recyclables Waste Characterization July 2021. Waste Data and Analysis Center, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY. Waste Data and Analysis Center Contribution # 15.

Walker, G., Y. Wang, S. Manzur, K. Thyberg, E. Hewitt, and DJ Tonjes. 2022. Development Authority of the North Country Landfill MSW Waste Characterization November 2021. Waste Data and Analysis Center, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY. Waste Data and Analysis Center Contribution #18

Tonjes, DJ, E. Hewitt, and KL Thyberg. 2022. Town of Brookhaven MSW and Recyclables Waste Characterization June 2021. Waste Data and Analysis Center, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY. Waste Data and Analysis Center Contribution #12.

Wang, Y., E. Hewitt, and DJ Tonjes. 2020. Oneida-Herkimer Recycling Center Utica Materials Recovery Facility Recyclables Characterization November 2019. Waste Data and Analysis Center, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY. Waste Data and Analysis Center Contribution #4.

Tonjes, DJ, S. Brannan-Douglas, J. Lee, and E. Hewitt. 2020. Delaware County MRF Recyclables Characterization November 2019. Waste Data and Analysis Center, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY. Waste Data and Analysis Center Contribution #2.

Hewitt, E., F. Firmansyah, and DJ Tonjes. 2020. Town of Islip MRF Recyclables Characterization October 2019. Waste Data and Analysis Center, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY. Waste Data and Analysis Center Contribution #3.

PhD Students

Omkar Aphale (2015): Multi-model Validation Assessment of Groundwater Flow Simulation Models Using Area Metric Approach

Krista Thyberg (2015):  Food Waste and Sustainability: Quantifying Food Waste Disposal and Evaluating the Environmental Impacts of Technologies and Policies

Lori Clark: ABD

Sagarika Srivastava

Maeen Md. Akter

Sameena Manzur

David Edelstein (left program 2012)

Kim K. Smith (left program 2018)

Matthew Johnston (left program 2023)

 

  • Office: 1433 Computer Science, on campus

Phone: 631-632-8518
Email: david.tonjes@stonybrook.edu