NEWS RELEASE
October 3, 2002

Alameda County Waste Management Authority
Heralded as One of the Nation's Best

Washington, D.C. -- Alameda County, California (pop. 1.46 million), has one of the best recycling and waste reduction programs in the country according to a new report, Innovation, Leadership, Stewardship, prepared by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) in Washington, D.C. In 2000, Alameda County diverted 55% of its solid waste from landfill disposal -- up from 14% just a decade ago. "A good deal of the credit for this impressive accomplishment belongs to the Alameda County Waste Management Authority and Recycling Board," states Brenda Platt, ILSR's Director of Materials Recovery. "The leadership exercised by this public agency provides a model for local governments throughout the country," she added.

Innovation, Leadership, Stewardship details a number of comprehensive waste reduction programs of the Alameda County Waste Management Authority and the Alameda County Source Reduction and Recycling Board -- two legal entities that operate together as one organization. Collectively, the agency operates innovative programs in areas such as public education, waste prevention, reuse, green building, composting and market development assistance, and also offers low interest loans and grants. According to Janet Lockhart, Mayor of Dublin, California, and President of the Waste Management Authority Board of Directors, "the genius of the structure in Alameda County is that it provides a forum and common ground where elected officials, city staff, recyclers, waste haulers and citizens can work together for a sustainable future."

The total agency budget for FY 2002-03 is approximately $17 million, of which nearly 50% is returned directly to cities for direct services. The agency receives no tax or general fund revenues, and is funded solely from landfill disposal fees. In 1990, Alameda County voters approved a citizen's initiative -- The Waste Reduction and Recycling Initiative -- which established a countywide waste diversion goal of 75% by the year 2010.

Innovation, Leadership, Stewardship is a 20-page glossy booklet -- chock full of case studies and photographs. It is available as a PDF file on the agency's web site, located at http://www.stopwaste.org/ilsr.html. For a printed copy, send a check for $3.75 to cover shipping and handling to ILSR Publications, 927 15th St. NW, 4th Floor Washington, D.C. 20009.

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The Institute for Local Self-Reliance is a nonprofit research and educational organization that provides technical assistance to city and state government, citizen organizations, and industry to promote sustainable economic development. For more information on ILSR, its programs, and its publications, contact ILSR at 927 15th St. NW, 4th Floor Washington, DC 20009, telephone 202-898-1610, facsimile 202-898-1612, or visit its world wide web page at http://www.ilsr.org, email:ilsr@ilsr.org.