Delaware County wants to get to zero solid waste. Delaware County, home to one of the largest incinerators in the country, contracted Zero Waste Associates to help it figure out how to reduce the amount of trash that ends up in landfills and incinerators.
After a year of public workshops, listening sessions, and sit-downs with advisory committees, Zero Waste Associates is finishing up its first report. The public will see it in early 2023. Delaware County Council member Elaine Schaefer said the first draft of the report contains “good guidance” on where the county can go.
“There are a lot of ways to skin this onion. It’s all about conserving our resources, reducing what we’re throwing out, increasing the recycling of what we do have to throw out, and then managing waste that can’t be recycled in environmentally smart ways,” Schaefer said.
According to Schaefer, the initial findings reveal a shift to zero waste policies will be both environmentally and economically beneficial to the county. “Our solid waste is an obvious place where we can make tremendous improvement and we are all committed to making the investment,” Schaefer said.