Zero Waste Action Plan
Glendale, California
Zero Waste Associates
Gary Liss, 916-652-7850
gary@garyliss.com; www.garyliss.com
Zero Waste =
Reduce
Reuse
Recycle
Definition of Zero Waste
Zero
Waste is a goal that is ethical, economical,
efficient and visionary, to guide people in changing
their lifestyles and practices to emulate sustainable
natural cycles, where all discarded materials are
designed to become resources for others to use.
Zero Waste means designing and managing
products and processes to systematically avoid and
eliminate 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 are a threat to
planetary, human, animal or plant health.
Source; www.zwia.org/standards.html
Zero Waste & Global Warming
Landfills
are one of the largest sources of
Greenhouse Gases (GHG)
 Methane is 21-105x more potent than CO2
71 Tons “Upstream” For
Every Ton MSW
Recycling & composting all
discards in CA =
eliminating all auto
exhaust in CA
Wasteberg
Zero Waste and Green Jobs
Recycling
Industry =
Size of Auto Industry
10,000 tons of SW =
Landfill - 1 job
Composting – 4 jobs
Recycling – 10 jobs
Reuse – 75 –250 jobs
Source: www.ilsr.org
Is Zero Waste Attainable ?
Nature
Is The Model
Zero Waste, Or Darn
Close
Businesses Have
Achieved Over 90%
Waste Reduction
Picture: Methane Earth; Credit: GISS, NASA
Zero Waste Businesses are Leading
the Way (>90% diversion)
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Anheuser-Busch, Fairfield, CA
Apple Computer, Elk Grove, CA
Epson, OR
Fetzer Vineyards
Frankie’s Bohemian Café, SF
Greens Restaurant, SF
Hewlett-Packard, Roseville, CA
Honda
Mad River Brewery
New Belgium Brewery
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Pillsbury
Playa Vista, LA, CA
Ricoh Electronics
San Diego Wild Animal Park
Scoma’s Restaurant, SF
Subaru
Toyota
Vons-Safeway
Xerox Corp
900 Businesses in Japan
See www.earthresource.org
Why would a business DO this?
 Saves Money
 Reduces Liability
 Increases Efficiency
 Reduces GHG and emissions
 Marketing Edge
“Right Thing To Do”
Source: Gil Friend, Natural Logic
Zero Waste Communities

Canberra, Australia
 NZ – Entire Country
 Over 66% of NZ Cities
 Seattle, WA
 Chicago, IL
 Central Vermont Waste
Mgt.District
 Austin, TX
 Toronto, Ontario
 Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Telluride, CO
Boulder City & County, CO
Summit County, CO
Nelson, British Columbia (BC)
Regional Districts BC
 Kootenay Boundary
 Central Kootenay
 Cowichan Valley
 Sunshine Coast

Halifax, Nova Scotia
Source: www. ZWIA.org
CA Zero Waste Communities

Del Norte County
 San Luis Obispo Co.
 Rancho Cucomonga
 Culver City
(Sustainability Plan)
 Sacramento (in General
Plan)
 El Cajon
 Fresno
 Burbank
 Working on ZW Plan:
 City of Los Angeles
 Glendale, CA
SF Bay Area
 San Francisco
 Oakland
 San Jose
 Santa Cruz County & all
cities in County
 Berkeley
 Palo Alto
 Marin County
 Novato
 Fairfax
 Sunnyvale
Glendale Discards Sorted into
the 12 Market Categories
Note: Half of the Materials are Suitable for Compost
Chemicals
Polymers
-1%
8% Reuse
Textiles
2% Metals
2%
4%
Glass
2%
Ceramics
8%
Plant Debris
6%
No Market
10%
Putrescibles
19%
Paper
27%
Soils
8%
Wood
4%
Revenue Potential from
Glendale Discards
Market
%
Tons
Value ($/ton)
Total Value
1. Reuse
2.0
3,240
$550
$1,782,000
2. Paper
27.0
43,740
$50
$2,187,000
3. Plant Debris
5.5
8,910
$7
$62,370
4. Putrescibles
17.0
27,540
$7
$2,187,000
5. Wood
4.0
6,480
$8
$51,840
6. Ceramics
8.0
12,960
$4
$51,840
10.0
16,200
$7
$113,400
8. Metals
4.0
6,480
$50
$324,000
9. Glass
2.0
3,240
$10
$32,400
10. Polymers
8.0
12,960
$100
$1,296,000
11. Textiles
2.0
3,240
$100
$324,000
12. Chemicals
0.5
810
$15
$12,150
10.0
16,200
0
0
100.0
162,000
-
$ 8,424,000
7. Soils
No market
Total
Key Recommendations in
Glendale Draft Zero Waste Plan
Zero
Waste Goal
Commercial Recycling Rule
Organics Recovery
Reduce - Producer Responsibility
Reuse – Bulky Goods
Zero Waste Goal
Zero
emissions to air, water, land
Do not burn or bury resources
Currently Divert 53%
70% by 2015
90% by 2021
Commercial Recycling Rule
Comply
with State Mandate
Source Separate or Process Mixed Waste
No materials direct to landfill
Mixed Waste – At least 25% recovery
City continue to offer free recycling
Organics Recovery
Compostable
Organics out of Landfill
Processing facility at Scholl Canyon
 Digest to Recover Energy
 Compost digestate
Pilot
for commercial organics first
Reduce & Producer Responsibility
Adopt
EPR Policy
 Purchasing preference for take-backs
 ID problem products for local actions
 Advocate State and Federal legislation
Citywide
ban on stores distributing free
single-use plastic shopping bags
Styrofoam – follow County lead
Takeback guide on City website
CA 20-Year History of EPR
(Extended Producer Responsibility)
EPR Programs in CA
Responsibility
Beverage Containers
Tires
Govt.–Producers – Retail
Government – Retailers
Used Oil
Monitors
Government – Retailers
Govt.–Producers – Retail
Cell Phones
Rechargeable Batteries
Retailers Takeback
Retailers Takeback
Reuse
 Bulky
Goods – Reuse ahead of route
truck
 Promote E-Services (Craig’s List, e
Bay, LA Shares?)
 Used Building Materials
 Reuse Guide on Website
Zero Waste Resources
 Glendale Zero Waste Yahoo Group:
http://groups.yahoo.com/gropu/ZeroWasteGlendale
 Los Angeles ZW Planning:
http://www.zerowaste.lacity.org/home/index.html
 Oakland Adopted ZW Plan:
http://www.zerowasteoakland.com/AssetFactory.aspx?did=2123
 Burbank ZW Plan:
http://www.ci.burbank.ca.us/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=3117
 GrassRoots Recycling Network: www.grrn.org
 Zero Waste International Alliance: www.zwia.org
 Earth Resource Foundation: www.earthresource.org
 Glendale Zero Waste Questions: Tom Brady,
818-550-3435: tbrady@ci.glendale.ca.us
If you’re not for Zero Waste,
how much waste are you for?