Transcript Building Zero Waste Communities

Building Zero Waste
Communities
Tools to take home
Rob Howe
Sustainnovation Consulting
October 20, 2009
National Zero Waste Recycling Conference
Principles of Sustainability
1. What we take from the earth
– Minerals, metals, natural resources
– Fossil fuels
2. What we make from the earth
– Pesticides, plastics, chemicals
3. What we do to the earth
– Alter eco systems and reduce living species
4. Meeting fundamental needs
– Food, shelter, clothing - basic human needs
The Natural Step
Life Cycle Analysis
• “Hidden History” case study
• 1 ton of finished product comes from 71 tons of
energy and materials to produce
• The Myth of “Away”
Source: Gary Liss & Associates, Natural Capitalism, Lean
Thinking, Womack and Jones, google images
Islands of
Plastic
Sources: Across the Pacific Ocean, Plastics, Plastics, Everywhere, CHARLES MOORE / Natural History v.112, n.9, Nov03. Kathy Marks and Daniel
Howden, The Independent, Tuesday, 5 February 2008.
Google images, www.current.com/items/86290391_more_on_the_great_pacific_garbage_patch
Definition of Zero Waste
• Zero Waste is a goal that is both pragmatic and
visionary, to guide people to emulate sustainable
natural cycles, where all discarded materials are
resources for others to use.
• Zero Waste means designing and managing products
and processes to reduce the volume and toxicity of
waste and materials, conserve and recover all
resources, and not burn or bury them.
• Implementing Zero Waste will eliminate all discharges
to land, water or air that may be a threat to planetary,
human, animal or plant health.
Source: www.zwia.org/standards.html
What does Zero Waste mean?
"If it can’t be reduced, reused, repaired, rebuilt,
refurbished, refinished, resold, recycled, or
composted, then it should be restricted, redesigned,
or removed from production.
The goal is to combine aggressive resource recovery
and industrial redesign to eliminate the very concept
of waste.
Eventually, the community’s resource-use system will
emulate natural cyclical processes, where no waste
exists."
Source: Martin Bourque, Berkeley, CA Ecology Action at the GRRN Zero Waste Conference in NYC in 2005
Urban Environmental Accords
United Nations Environment Program
• Establish a policy to achieve zero waste to
landfills and incinerators by 2040.
• Adopt a citywide law that reduces the use of a
disposable, toxic, or non-renewable product
category by at least fifty percent in seven
years.
• Implement "user-friendly" recycling and
composting programs, with the goal of
reducing by twenty percent per capita solid
waste disposal to landfill and incineration in
seven years.
Source: http://www.livabilityproject.org/files/Accords.pdf
Product Stewardship
through Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)
In response to legislation:
Voluntary product
design changes:
• Home Appliance Recycling
Law (Japan)
• Design for
Environment
• Waste Electrical and
Electronic Equipment
• Biomimicry
(WEEE) Directive (Europe)
• Industrial Ecology
• Restriction of Hazardous
Substances (RoHS) Directive GOAL
(Europe)
ZERO WASTE
• End of Life Vehicles (ELV)
Directive (Europe)
Source: Product change resulting from EPR, Pledger, L., 3-10-09
Current Waste Reduction
Programs
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Recycle on the Go
Electronics Take Back
Beverage Take Back
Clean Car Campaign
Mercury Policy Project
Clean Production Action
COOL 2012 Campaign
City of Austin, TX
• Achieve UN Urban Environmental Accords
Goals
– Reduce per capita solid waste disposal to
landfills by 20% by 2012
– Zero Waste by 2040 = waste reduction of 90%
sent to landfills
• Lead by example
• Commercial and Multi-family Recycling
regulations
• Conduct extensive outreach
• Focus on Composting
• http://www.cityofaustin.org/sws/video/Gre
enDistrict400.swf
Source:: http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/sws/0waste.htm
Zero Waste Communities
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Austin, TX
Alaminos City, Philippines
Canberra, Australia
New Zealand – with over 66%
of NZ Cities
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Seattle, WA
Boulder, CO
Central Vermont Waste Mgt.
District
San Luis Obispo, CA
Fresno, CA
San Francisco, CA
Del Norte County CA
Source: www.zwia.org
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Oakland, CA
Santa Cruz County, CA
Berkeley, CA
Palo Alto, CA
Marin County
Los Angeles, CA
Chicago, IL
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Toronto, Ontario
Nelson, British Columbia and
other Regional Districts
EPA Record-setting
Recycling Programs
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Compost Yard trimmings
Target a wide range of materials
Require resident participation
Institute economic incentives
Design programs for convenience
Source: http://www.ilsr.org/recycling/recordsetters/keycharactrrs.html
Setting up a Recycling Program
Step 1 – Identify funding at community or state level
Step 2 – Select a Recycling Coordinator
Step 3 – Determine the Waste Stream
Step 4 – Practice Waste Prevention
Step 5 – Include Concessionaires, Staff, Volunteers
Step 6 – Select a contractor/hauler
Step 7 – Establish a collection program
Step 8 – Facilitate Outreach and Education
Step 9 – Monitor and Evaluate the program
Source: http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/rrr/rogo/program/index.htm
References to help you make Zero Waste a reality
Who
What
Zero Waste International Alliance
GRRN
GAIA
ZERI
Eco-cycle
Earth Resource Foundation
ILSR
Zero Waste Communities
ZW Business Principles
Zero Waste San Diego
Zero Waste British Columbia
Zero Waste New York City
Zero Waste Businesses
Web link
Zero Waste Resources
http://www.zwia.org
Zero Waste Resources
http://www.grrn.org
Zero Waste for Zero Warming
http://www.gaia.org
Zero Emissions Research Initiatives http://www.zeri.org
Zero Waste Resources
http://www.ecocycle.org
Zero Waste Business Conferences http://earthresource.org
Stop Trashing the Climate Report
http://www.ilsr.org
List of ZW Communities
http://www.zwia.org/zwc.html
ZW Business Principles
http://zeroheroes.biz
City website
http://zerowastesandiego.org/
Recycling Council of BC
http://www.rcbc.bc.ca/education/zero-waste
NYC ZW program
http://www.consumersunion.org/other/zero-waste/
ZW reference list
http://www.grrn.org/zerowaste/business/profiles.php
References for Climate Change and Recycling
Who
U.S. EPA
Earth 911
Environmental Literacy Council
IPCC
Nat Resources Defense Council
Stopglobalwarming.org
UN Environment Program
World Health Organization
World Resources Institute
Pew Center for Climate Change
What
Climate change and environment
Environmental and recycling info
Climate and environment info
Climate change
Environmental info and resources
Climate change, global warming
Climate change and environment
Climate change and environment
Climate change and environment
Info-conservation and environment
Web link
http://www.epa.gov/climatechange
http://www.earth911.org
http://www.enviroliteracy.org
http://www.ipcc.ch
http://www.nrdc.org
http://www.stopglobalwarming.org
http://www.unep.org
http://www.who.int/globalchange/en
http://www.wri.org
http://www.pewclimate.org
Rob Howe
Sustainnovation Consulting, a division of Meridian Associates
978-299-0447
www.sustainnovation.com
Sustainability
Education
Energy
Waste
Facilities
Product
Organization
Reporting
Social
“Every choice we make
creates the world we live in”
-Phyllis Ballata