David Tonjes
Research Professor (retired Research Associate Professor)
Ph.D., Stony Brook University
Total Stony Brook Research Funding: $8,603,150
Research Group: Waste Data and Analysis Center (www.wastedata.info)
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
Publications since 2021:
Srivastava, S., F. Firmansyah, KL Thyberg, DJ Tonjes, and E. Hewitt. 2025. EPA model estimates and waste characterization studies: US paper disposal dynamics. Waste Management 206:115074, 11 pp. DOI 10.1016/j.wasman.2025.115074
Kaur, A., KL Thyberg, and DJ Tonjes. 2025. Zero waste program success: a systems approach to indicators at micro, meso, and macro levels. Sustainability 17:3644, 24 pp. DOI10.3390/ su17083644
Srivastava, S., and DJ Tonjes. 2025. Food waste crisis in the United States of America: the known, the overlooked and the undisclosed. Detritus 30:14-22. DOI10.31025/2611-4135/2025.19468.
Tonjes, DJ, Y. Wang, F. Firmansyah, S. Manzur, M. Johnston, KL Thyberg, and E. Hewitt. 2025. Similarities and differences in waste composition over time and space determined by multivariate distance analyses. PLoS One 20(1):e0308367, 31 pp. DOI10.1371/journal.pone.0308367.
Tonjes, DJ, S. Manzur, Y. Wang, F. Firmansyah, M. Rahman, G. Walker, S. Lee, T. Thomas, M. Ly, L. Medina, R. Shi, S. Srivastava, C. Tucker, HZ Maung, KL Thyberg, and E. Hewitt. 2024. Composition of New York State (United States) disposed waste and recyclables in 2021: an advanced analysis of waste sort data. Recycling 9:87, 50 pp. Cover article. DOI 10.3390/recycling9050087
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
Manzur, S., H. Lee, F. Firmansyah, Y. Wang, K. Thyberg, E. Hewitt, and D. Tonjes. 2024. New York State waste characterization: 2023 sampling results. Poster, 2024 Global Waste Management Symposium, Indian Wells, CA, Feb. 26-28.
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.
Dong, N., D. Byrne, and DJ Tonjes. 2021. The effect of road salt on trace metal detections and concentrations in a Long Island sandy aquifer. Expanded abstract, Geology of Long Island and Metropolitan New York. https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/geosciences/about/_LIG-Past-Conference-abstract-pdfs/2021-Abstracts/Dong.pdf
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
Reports since 2021:
Khairul Akter, MM, DJ Tonjes, Y. Wang, F. Firmansyah, KL Thyberg, and E Hewitt. In review. Recycling and the Circular Economy. Task 4 Report, MOU #AM 11643. Waste Data and Analysis Center, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY. Waste Data and Analysis Center Contribution #79.
Tonjes, DJ, AA Tolun, B. Zende, K. Thyberg, and E. Hewitt. In review. The Chinese National Sword Policy: Causes, Impacts, and Lessons Learned. Task 3 Report, MOU #AM 11643. Waste Data and Analysis Center, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY. Waste Data and Analysis Center Contribution #59.
Wang, Y., F. Firmansyah, S. Manzur, K. Thyberg, E. Hewitt, and DJ Tonjes. 2024. 2023 New York State Waste Characterization. Task 1 2023 Annual Report, MOU #AM 11643. Waste Data and Analysis Center, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY. Waste Data and Analysis Center Contribution #37.
Wang, Y., F. Firmansyah, S. Manzur, K. Thyberg, E. Hewitt, and DJ Tonjes. 2024. 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, M. Rahman, F. Firmansyah, K. Thyberg, and E. Hewitt. 2023. New York State Waste Characterization. Task 1 Annual Report, MOU #AM 11643. Waste Data and Analysis Center, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY. 52 pp. 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. MOU #AM 11643. Waste Data and Analysis Center, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY. 90 pp. Waste Data and Analysis Center Contribution #7.
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 (2024): Modified Landfill Gas Modelling for Methane Management with Policy Implications in Climate Change
Sagarika Srivastava: ABD
Maeen Md. Khairul Akter
Guilherme Larangeira
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