Bethlehem Work on Waste (BWOW) began in the spring of 1989 by Betsy Lyons, Betty Albright, and other residents from the town of Bethlehem, New York. It started in opposition to American Ref-fuel/BFI's (Brown Ferris Industries and Air Products and Chemical Inc.) proposal to build an incinerator on Cabbage Island (now Beacon Island) in Bethlehem.

After defeating the proposed American Ref-fuel/BFI incinerator, the group organized with environmentalists from the town of Coeymans against a suggested ANSWERS (Albany New York Solid Waste Energy Recovering System) landfill. In 1992 the EAC (Energy Answers Corporation) proposed building a waste management facility that included an incinerator on Green Island, located in Albany near Troy, or Cabbage Island, the same site that BWOW fought to protect against American Ref-Fuel/BFI's proposal.

On June 18, 1992, a referendum vote was held in Bethlehem and rejected EAC's proposal and prohibited the building of incinerators in the town. BWOW advocated the 3 R's: reduce, reuse, and recycle. The group wrote editorials, spoke at public meetings, held public forums, gave talks at schools and for community groups, and organized recycling days for the community. Members were the first in the community to organize days for recycling of specific materials such as books, shoes, and latex paints. They mentored the student group Students Reduce Our Trash, who put together a lesson plan for the Bethlehem Central School District incorporating the 3 R's. They also formulated a Solid Waste Disposal System for the town of Bethlehem.

The group issued extensive information not only about themselves but also about the dangers of incineration. In 1991 the group incorporated as a not-for-profit organization. The money came from member donations and fundraising events. The group ended its efforts in the mid-1990s. The last newsletter was issued in 1995.