Hoping to achieve zero waste by 2020, San Francisco, CA is already way ahead of other cities in diverting its waste. Thanks to bold public policy and educational initiatives, the city diverts about 80 percent of its waste from landfills, or more than 1.5 million tons every year. That means recycling, composting, reusing, and reducing consumption so that nothing goes to either the landfill or incineration. New York only diverts about 21 percent of its waste and Chicago is at about 10 percent.
In 2009, San Francisco passed the nation’s first mandatory composting law. It has also banned checkout bags and Styrofoam. To encourage behavior change, San Francisco initially set trash collection rates much higher than recycling and composting rates. While rates are more comparable now, residential bin sizes provide a behavioral nudge. Standard residential services include a 64-gallon blue recycling bin, a 32-gallon green composting bin, and 16-gallon black trash bin. Businesses are also charged according to the volume of waste they present. They receive discounts for using the green and blue bins, and are penalized if recyclables or compostables end up in the trash.
In addition, working with one waste management company, Recology, makes it possible to collaborate on long-term goals. Plus, its recycling and composting operations are sorted in the city’s Recycle Center, a 200,000 square foot warehouse on Pier 96 that processes 40 to 45 tons of materials per hour, while the city’s yard waste and food scraps are taken to Jepson Prairie Organics in Vacaville, about 60 miles northeast of San Francisco.
Read the full story at https://www.cnbc.com/2018/07/13/how-san-francisco-became-a-global-leader-in-waste-management.html.