The mayor urged Albany to pass a plan to haul trash by barge and rail instead of trucks Tuesday at a City Hall news conference.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg, flanked by City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and council members, said the plan would go a long way in reducing asthma rates and traffic. He also said it's only fair that each borough handle its own waste.

Under the plan, a marine transfer station would operate at Pier 52 on the Gansevoort Peninsula in Manhattan rather than trucking the debris to facilities in the outer boroughs. The plant would handle recyclables.

The plan calls for the city's trash to be hauled away by barge and rail at local sites in Brooklyn, Queens and other parts of Manhattan. Environmentalists say it will free up city roads and reduce asthma by cutting back truck traffic.

The City Council and state Senate have passed the measure.

However, some assembly members from Manhattan's West Side oppose sharing their pier with a marine transfer station. The proposal would have to be reconfigured without approval of the Gansevoort site.For the news conference on the waste management plan, go to channel 612 on your digital iO cable box and select iO Extra.AP wire reports contributed to this story.

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