Waste reduction is a key factor to building a more sustainable world, including reducing greenhouse gases that come from manufacture, transportation and landfilling items. This small group is excited to explore and pursue the enormous possibilities for waste reduction to support a sustainable Missoula.
Since the May 2014 Summit, several initial members of the Waste Reduction Bucket formed the ADAPT
Zero Waste Group, dedicated to working with the Missoula community to conserve and recover all landfillbound resources and to utilize discards in ways that contribute productively to natural systems and our local and regional economies.
Waste Reduction Bucket members: Katie Deuel
(Home Resource), Meghan Oswalt (US Forest
Service), Anne Little (MUD Board
Member/Community member), Ben Schmidt
(Missoula County), Jeremy Drake (Home
Resource) and Martin NoRunner (i.e. recycling).
Top strategies identified at the Summit

Deconstruction ordinance

City-wide composting
Next steps for top strategies
The group determined that a community zero waste ordinance could encompass all of our priority wastereduction issues and allow us to implement them in a coordinated, comprehensive, time- and resourceappropriate manner. The group brainstormed the following initial ideas to move the process forward:
1. Zero-waste Ordinance:
Define and research

Define zero waste.

Identify other cities and towns with a zero waste strategy or similar developments and research policy, language and process to establish a zero waste ordinance.

Research state laws and city processes for establishing an ordinance. Determine if the ordinance can be tethered to the City Climate Action Plan.

Identify other Missoula business plans that support zero waste (UM, Hospitals, SBC, MCPS, Climate
Wise, USFS)

Discuss opportunities to have interns/students complete or assist research (University of Montana:
EVST, School of Education, Climate Change Studies, and School of Business Sustainability Certificate,
College of Technology, and Department of Environmental Quality.).

Create timeline for ordinance implementation.
Analysis

Conduct a waste audit that includes community participation.

Conduct a cost analysis.
Community Outreach and Building Support

Identify systems needed to make this possible.

ID messengers.


Develop outreach and education.

Connect with neighborhood councils.
2. Deconstruction Ordinance
The Deconstruction Ordinance will follow similar steps (define and research, analysis, and community outreach and building support) to the Zero Waste Ordinance described above.

Identify possible ordinance allies including contractors, homeowners, property owners, and local businesses ( Homeword, property managers, Montana Housing Authority, University of Montana,
MCPS, hospitals, and USFS)
Climate action strategies discussed:
• Set quantifiable targets for waste reduction.
• Encourage “upcyling” of waste materials.
• Take ownership of our own waste collection system.
• Expand household hazardous waste collection.
• Use rail to concentrate waste source for greater production.
• Implement plastic bag ban.
• Encourage/improve brewery cooperation on reusable containers – reduce glass as trash.
• Reduce overall consumption/imports to Missoula (local production of goods)

Phase out slash/burn; replace with wood chipper for mulch

Local ownership of landfill

Competitive bidding for waste collection to spur better services/control rates

Require recycling with garbage pick-up

Landfill surcharge

Repair Cafes/Fixer Collective

Educate on re-thinking (make reduction fun, sexy, exciting and inexpensive)

City allow gray water/composting toilets
Challenges:

The City of Missoula does not own the landfill.

Currently, the City of Missoula’s GHG inventory does not include landfill waste emissions. The landfill used by Missoula serves several counties, and there is no way to determine how much waste is from Missoula as opposed to other communities.
Hopes:

Provide support and collaborate with the City of Missoula and community to develop and implement a realistic, thoughtful and successful zero waste strategy.
Contact person(s): Jeremy Drake ( jeremy@homeresource.org
)