Zero Waste by 2020 in San Francisco

Type of practice Recycle

Name of practice Zero Waste by 2020 in San Francisco

Name of main actor Department of Environment, San Francisco and Recology Inc.

Type of actor(s) Public authority, Company

Location United States of America

Stage of implementation End-of-life

Year of implementation 2010

What was/is being done? In 1989, California passed AB 939, a law that required municipalities to divert 50 percent of waste from landfills by 2000 (or else pay $10,000 a day in fines). In 2006, the city directed its contracted waste hauler, Recology, to institute the Commercial Recycling Discount, giving businesses a break of up to 75 percent on their trash bill for recycling and composting. In 2009, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed an ordinance requiring every property in the city to recycle and compost - it was the first mandatory composting law of its kind in North America. In 2010, San Francisco became the first city to pass legislation requiring all households to separate both recycling and compost from garbage. Nutrient-rich compost created by the municipal program is made available to area organic farmers and wine producers, helping to reduce resource consumption in agriculture. The Department of Environment has goals of 75 percent diversion by 2010 and zero waste by 2020.

Outcomes and impacts By asking residents to separate their food waste, a new era of awareness is being fostered by the initiative. The program now recycles nearly 220,000 tons of organics annually, producing compost utilized by area farms, vineyards and residents. By 2011, Recology reported having composted more than 907,000 tons of food scraps and vegetative waste from San Francisco residences and businesses since launching its pilot program in 1996. The CO2 emissions avoided, according to the company, were tantamount to removing all traffic that traverses the Bay Bridge for 777 days. The most recent figure for trash going to landfill (2010) is 400,000 tons, the lowest in history and has been steadily decreasing by 10 to 15 percent a year. Compostable material collected has increased from about 400 to 600 tons/day.