Solid Waste Integrated Resources Plan All of us together can make
HOW BIG IS LOS ANGELES?
Envision a world without waste Mayor s Mayor s directives directives Phase Phase out out of of Urban Urban Landfills Landfills RENEW RENEW LA LA No No wasted wasted resources resources Optimize Optimize City s City s collection collection programs programs 70% 70% diversion diversion by by 2015 2015 90% 90% diversion diversion by by 2025 2025 Alternative Alternative Technology Technology Convert Convert the the City s City s 750+ 750+ collection collection trucks trucks to to clean-burning clean-burning LNG LNG by by 2010 2010 Sustainable Sustainable waste waste resources/biosolids resources/biosolids management management
Stakeholder Stakeholder consensus consensus Why SWIRP? Conflicting Conflicting environmental environmental goals goals Local Local control control LA LA leadership leadership Needed Needed infrastructure infrastructure Environmental Environmental justice justice Land Land use use pressures pressures Is Is zero zero waste waste possible? possible? Is Is zero zero waste waste practical? practical? Vision Vision of of sustainability sustainability vs. vs. reality reality of of costs costs and and impacts impacts
70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Big City Leader Big City Leader San Jose Chicago San Diego New York Philadelphia Phoenix Dallas San Antonio Houston Los Angeles Diversion Rate for Ten Largest U.S. Cities from Waste News Municipal Recycling Survey, February 13, 2006
City Collection Services City of Los Angeles: 470 square miles 4 million residents 6 collection districts East Valley West Valley West LA North Central South LA Harbor Refuse Recyclables Yard Trimmings
Current Recycling Programs Single-family residential curbside recycling (New to Blue 2007) Multi-family residential recycling (Citywide as of Summer 2007) Residential yard trimming collection and processing Griffith Park Composting Facility Mulch/compost giveaway sites Bulky item collection for single-family AND multi-family SAFE (Solvents, Automotive, Flammables and Electronics) Christmas Tree recycling Backyard composting Commercial food scrap recycling pilot Construction and demolition (C&D) recycling LAUSD Blue Bin Recycling Program Ambassador Program
New programs under consideration Adding food scraps to residential yard trimmings program Expanding commercial food scrap pilot Commercial and office recycling Incentives and/or requirements for private sector haulers
Opportunities in the Supply Stream Problem Materials 23% Recyclable Paper and Cardboard 18% Other Recyclable Materials 21% Compostable Materials 34% Potentially Recyclable Materials 4% Figures derived from Characterization of Municipal Solid Waste for the City of Los Angeles, Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation, 2001
Problem Materials Materials that don t have markets Composite materials (things stuck to other things) Treated wood Some plastics Diapers Hazardous materials and some electronics Some plastic bags + films
Potentially Recyclable Materials Materials that don t have vibrant markets Hardback books Window glass Some plastics Textiles Asphalt roofing Clean gypsum board
Zero Waste and Climate Change Zero Waste and Climate Change Landfills Create carbon dioxide and methane Account for 25% of U.S. methane emissions Waste prevention, recycling and composting Save energy Divert materials from landfills Reduce greenhouse gas emissions Mayor s GREEN LA Plan Reduces green house gas emission to 35% below 1990 levels by 2030 Shifts focus from waste disposal to resource recovery 70% diversion by 2015
Zero Waste What is Zero Waste? Recognizes that waste is not inevitable Discarded materials are potentially valuable resources Goes beyond end of the line strategies Maximizes recycling and composting Reduces consumption Designs waste out of the system
Paradigm Shift Recyclables used to be what we kept out of the trash Now trash is what we have leftover after we reuse, recycle and compost
Comprehensive recycling programs Multi-material As convenient as trash Available to all generators Organics diversion Yard trimmings Food scraps Compostable paper C&D diversion Generator-based Hauler-based Facility-based Pieces of Zero Zero Waste Policies New rules Disposal bans Mandatory recycling Product stewardship Comprehensive outreach and technical assistance Zero Waste Infrastructure Neighborhood scale Reuse and recycling Materials recovery C&D processing Organics processing Residual Waste Management Alternative technologies Residual waste transfer Residual waste disposal
Zero Waste Around the World All of us together can make ZERO
Reduce Reuse Recycle = Zero Waste
Zero Waste Communities Around the World Canberra, Australia New Zealand (Entire Country) Plus over 50 percent of New Zealand cities Buenos Aires, Argentina Seattle, Washington Boulder County, Colorado Summit County, Colorado Central Vermont Waste Management District New York City (Citizens Zero Waste Plan) Halifax, Nova Scotia Toronto, Ontario Nelson, British Columbia Regional Districts, British Columbia Kootenay Boundary Central Kootenay Nelson Cowichan Valley Sunshine Coast Smithers, British Columbia Nanaimo, British Columbia
Zero Waste Communities in California State Strategic Plan Rancho Cucomonga Culver City Sustainability Plan El Cajon Fresno Burbank - informally San Bernardino County Zero Waste Communities informally San Luis Obispo County Del Norte County San Francisco Oakland Santa Cruz County Plus all cities in the County Berkeley Palo Alto Marin County Novato Fairfax Sonoma County Local Task Force Los Angeles Working on Zero Waste Plan
Zero Waste Businesses are Leading the Way Anheuser-Busch Apple Computer Epson Fetzer Vineyards Frankie s Bohemian Café Greens Restaurant Hewlett-Packard Mad River Brewery New Belgium Brewery NUMMI Pillsbury Playa Vista San Diego Wild Animal Park Scoma s Restaurant Vons-Safeway Xerox Corp Yost Printer Businesses achieving greater than 90% waste diversion
Zero Waste and Global Warming Landfills are one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions Methane is 21 times more potent than CO 2 Recycling and composting all remaining discards in CA = eliminating all auto exhaust in CA Zero Waste should be part of local, state and business Sustainability Plans
Tackling the Wasteberg 71 Tons Upstream Waste per Ton of Municipal Solid Waste
Pillars of Zero Waste Upstream Downstream Green Businesses and Jobs
Upstream = 71 x Municipal Solid Waste
Downstream Ensure the highest and best use of products and packaging at the end of their useful lives Reuse products and packaging, retaining their original form and function Recycle or compost materials that are not reduced or reused
Resource Recovery Parks Reuse, Recycling, Composting, Manufacturing and Sales Like Airports or Shopping Centers Drop and Shop Convenience for Public Lower Waste Fees Buy at Discounts San Luis Obispo RR Park
Green Businesses and Jobs Expand, attract, and support green businesses and green collar jobs Reserve sufficient land for Zero Waste infrastructure Buy green goods and services Recycling Industry = Size of Auto Industry 10,000 tons of Sold Waste = Landfill 1 job Composting 4 jobs Recycling 10 jobs Reuse 75 to 250 jobs
If you re not for Zero Waste, how much waste are you for?
Stakeholder-Driven Planning Process
Forming the Regional Working Groups Key Constituents Regional Working Groups House Meetings Business Outreach
Who We are Reaching Community Organizations, including Neighborhood Councils Business Organizations, including Chambers of Commerce, Generators Environmental Groups Environmental Justice Groups Unions Private Sector Haulers, Facility Operators, and Recyclers
Collaborate with other green cities What Folks Are Saying MRF first Focus on the first R Reduce Local solutions to global pollution Design for the environment Green jobs Make recycling convenient for everyone Coordinate SWIRP with Carbon Plan Lead by example
Mandatory is okay Share benefits What Else? Environmental justice Include students it s their future Decentralized solutions and burdens Emissions from new technologies Need more info. about current programs Businesses aren t afraid of zero Siting traffic We want a better world for our kids
What About You??
Conference Series 1 Developing the Vision Forming the Foundation Current system Projected needs and opportunities Diversion policies, programs and technologies SWIRP Goals and Objectives Goals and objectives Evaluation criteria Zero Waste LA Conference Key note address from elected official Presentations from national experts Shared goals and objectives Shared evaluation criteria Sign-off on results
Conference Series 2 Identifying the Options Policy and Program Options Universal participation Extended producer responsibility Food waste diversion Wet/dry collection Facility and Technology Options Resource Recovery Parks Conversion and Emerging Technologies Transfer and Disposal Residual Waste Management SWIRP Options Agreement on what we want to evaluate o Policies o Programs o Facilities and technologies Sign-off on results
Conference Series 3 Guiding Principles and Recommendations Evaluation of Options Evaluate options based on criteria Illustrate choices using dialogue & decision tools Envision changes using GIS Guiding Principles Agreement on final recommendations Guiding Principles for Phase II Citywide SWIRP Charrette Guiding Principles for Phase II Intense focus Feedback loops Create both vision and implementation strategies Sign-off on results
Workshop Schedule May June July August Sep Oct Key constituent meetings House meetings Key constituent meetings Business interviews Findings Analysis Key constituent meetings Business interviews Workshop Series 1 Forming the Foundation Workshop Series 2 Goals and Objectives 1 st Citywide Conference Sign-on for Zero Waste LA House meetings House meetings Nov Dec Jan Feb March April Workshop Series 3 Policy and Program Options Workshop Series 4 Facility Options 2 nd Citywide Conference Policy, Program and Facility Options Workshop Series 5 Evaluation Workshop Series 6 Recommendations 3 rd Citywide Conference Sign-off on Guiding Principles
What We Need from You Can we count on your participation? Six workshops Three citywide conferences What information do you need in order to be effective? Who else needs to be here? What are the key Opportunities Issues Constraints?