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Twenty years ago, many solid waste
planners thought no more than 15% to 20% of the municipal waste
stream could be recycled. ILSR's 1988 publication, Beyond 25%:
Materials Recovery Age Comes of Age, shattered this myth. It featured
15 communities recycling 25% or more of their residential and
commercial/institutional discards. Our 1991 report Beyond 40%:
Record-Setting Recycling and Composting Programs highlighted even
more communities with even higher recycling levels. Between 1996
and 2000, our U.S. EPA-sponsored Waste
Reduction Record-Setters project greatly expanded
our work to identify and share the experience of model recycling
programs. This project produced a report and a series of fact
sheet packets on record-setting recycling programs. ILSR continues
to document best practices. In 2000 we developed a series
of case studies for the California Integrated Waste Management
Board. In 2002, we released a booklet on Alameda
County, California's comprehensive waste reduction
and recycling programs.
Recycling has indeed come of age. The number of curbside recycling programs has climbed to more than 9,700, and the national recycling rate for municipal discards has reached 30% for the first time since the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency started tracking the rate. At the local level, many communities are setting new records, surpassing 50%, and even 60% waste diversion levels. A number of individual establishments - public and private sector - such as office buildings, schools, hospitals, restaurants, and supermarkets have approached 90% and higher levels. Recycling has made gains despite an unlevel playing field: competition from raw materials processing and wasting industries and expectations that it has to "pay for itself." A few communities have endorsed zero waste goals. Del Norte, California, is the first U.S. community to adopt a zero waste management plan. Other communities are moving in this direction as well. Seattle's current solid waste plan has adopted zero waste as a guiding principle. In 2002, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors adopted a 75% landfill diversion goal by the year 2010 and a long-term goal of zero waste. ILSR provides technical assistance to communities interested in reducing the flow of materials to landfills and incinerators. This Recycling Record Setters Web page features innovative and model programs that can be replicated in other communities. Table of Select Community Waste Reduction Record-Setters Table of Select Institutional and Commercial Sector Waste Reduction Record-Setters List of Key Characteristics of Record-Setting Recycling Programs
Resources: Recycling Record Setters Food Scrap RecoveryApartment Building Programs Office Building Models Special Events Building Material Recovery Serving Diverse Populations with Recycling ILSR's U.S. EPA-Sponsored Waste Reduction Record-Setters Project Case Studies of Innovative Recycling Strategies Prepared for the California Integrated Waste Management Board
ILSR has been tracking and documenting community-wide recycling/composting programs for many years. Some of our reports on this subject are available online as PDF files. Others are available in hard copy format only. Alameda County,
California Cutting the
Waste Stream in Half: Community Record-Setters Show How
Waste Reduction
Record-Setters Program Profiles Minimizing Waste,
Maximizing Recycling Waste Prevention,
Recycling, and Composting Options: Lessons from 30 U.S. Communities This report is a summary and analysis of the research conducted in In-Depth Studies of Recycling and Composting Programs: Designs, Costs, and Results. It looks at the operating experiences of 30 communities ranging from rural towns of 2,000 to cities of two million. It also offers nuts-and-bolts advice to communities wanting to strengthen their own programs. Published by the U.S. EPA. In-Depth Studies of Recycling
and Composting Programs: Designs, Costs, Results, Volume I, Rural Communities
Volume II, Suburbs and Small
Cities Volume III, Urban Areas
Volumes I, II, and III
This three-volume study is one of the most comprehensive compilations on community recycling programs. It details aspects of 30 U.S. community recycling programs, each selected for its geographic and demographic representation, high recovery rates, and/or notable innovations. Each volume includes model initiatives for source reduction, construction and demolition debris recovery, food waste recovery, and salvage/reuse operations. The case studies allow for comparisons of costs and results, public and private collection, segregated and commingled set-out, curbside and drop-off, and mandatory. Beyond 40 Percent:
Record-Setting Recycling and Composting Programs This report demonstrated the reality of recovering more than 40 percent of municipal solid waste. It established materials recovery as a cost-effective, primary waste management strategy. The operating experiences of 17 communities-urban, suburban, and rural-are extensively documented. The book includes 58 charts with specifics of recycling and composting programs, breakdowns of capital and operating costs, and information on materials targeted. It also provides information on incentives, collection methods, education and publicity, and contact people. A valuable guide for anyone interested in materials recovery and recycling.
Food
Waste Recovery This case study, prepared for the California Integrated Waste Management Board, features food recovery initiatives in San Francisco, Berkeley, and Santa Cruz County. It details collection systems for the commercial and institutional sector, collection of residential food discards with yard trimmings, and on-site composting of private sector food scraps. Don't Throw
Away That Food: Strategies for Record-Setting Waste Reduction
A growing number of food-related businesses are diverting their food discards to useful purposes in place of the dump. This fact sheet packet documents nine programs with record-setting food recovery levels, from a hospital and prison to an urban produce market and supermarkets. The packet includes tips for solid waste planners and resources for more information.
Recycling
in Multi-Family Dwellings This case study, prepared for the California Integrated Waste Management Board, features programs and policies to encourage recycling in multi-family dwellings. It documents programs in Central Costa Contra, Davis, and Malibu (CA) as well as examples from across the U.S. Complex Recycling Issues: Multi-family buildings are often overlooked when communities offer their residents recycling services. This fact sheet packet features four model apartment buildings and complexes, from garden apartments to high-rises, that are recycling between 20 and 65% of their discarded materials. Also profiled are five communities that provide recycling service to their multi-family dwelling sector.
Mini
Trash Bins Help Office Settings Reduce Waste 50 Percent and More
Taking away people's trash cans to reduce office waste is a novel concept-a concept that is spreading and resulting in high waste diversion. The heart of the system is making employees responsible for their trash by replacing their deskside trash can with a small mini trash bin. This case study, prepared for the California Integrated Waste Management Board, features programs in Ontario, Canada, and in the City of San Jose.
Recycling
at Special Events This case study, prepared for the California Integrated Waste Management Board, will help event organizers to reduce waste and local planners to establish programs and policies to encourage event recycling within their jurisdictions. It highlights efforts in California and elsewhere.
Also visit ILSR's Building Deconstruction Web site. Building Savings: Strategies
for Waste Reduction of Debris from Buildings
This fact sheet packet profiles seven building projects-from new construction to renovation and deconstruction-that are recovering 42 to 82% of materials otherwise destined for disposal. Policymakers wanting to encourage building material recovery, building owners and developers interested in green building design, and contractors seeking a competitive edge will find this document useful.
Serving Diverse Populations with Recycling Serving
Diverse Populations with Recycling This case study, prepared for the California Integrated Waste Management Board, identifies barriers communities may face in delivering recycling services to diverse populations (multi-ethnic, low-income, tourist, student, elderly), and features how cities are overcoming these challenges.
ILSR's U.S. EPA-Sponsored Waste Reduction Project ILSR's Waste Reduction Record-Setters project (1996-2000), funded under an U.S. EPA grant, identified and documented record-setting waste reduction programs in the public and private sectors. The project identified 100 communities and nearly 200 businesses, institutions, and other organizations reporting waste reduction -- the combination of waste prevention and recycling -- rates at 50 percent or higher. In fact, some are reducing their municipal solid waste by as much as 85 or 90 percent. What makes these programs so successful? At what cost? What role to waste prevention, reuse, and composting play? What can other communities, governments, and organizations -- and the nation as a whole -- learn from these record-setters? To answer these questions, ILSR wrote a series of publications, published by the U.S. EPA. The following resources highlight model programs, costs, benefits, and tips for replication. Waste Reduction Record-Setters
Program Profiles Features more than 50 examples of cutting-edge recycling programs. Cutting the
Waste Stream in Half: Community Record-Setters Show How
This report and fact sheet packet of the same title feature 18 cities and counties recovering 40 to 65% of their residential waste. They profile each community's program, drivers for waste reduction levels, materials accepted, set-out and collection methods, and equipment and operating costs. The fact sheet packet summarizes and complements the full report. Essential reading on cost-effective recycling. Building Savings:
Strategies for Waste Reduction of Debris from Buildings This fact sheet packet profiles seven building projects-from new construction to renovation and deconstruction-that are recovering 42 to 82% of materials otherwise destined for disposal. Policymakers wanting to encourage building material recovery, building owners and developers interested in green building design, and contractors seeking a competitive edge will find this document useful. Complex Recycling
Issues: Multi-family buildings are often overlooked when communities offer their residents recycling services. This fact sheet packet features four model apartment buildings and complexes, from garden apartments to high-rises, that are recycling between 20 and 65% of their discarded materials. Also profiled are five communities that provide recycling service to their multi-family dwelling sector. Don't Throw
Away That Food: Strategies for Record-Setting Waste Reduction
A growing number of food-related businesses are diverting their food discards to useful purposes in place of the dump. This fact sheet packet documents nine programs with record-setting food recovery levels, from a hospital and prison to an urban produce market and supermarkets. The packet includes tips for solid waste planners and resources for more information.
Case Studies
of Innovative Recycling Strategies Prepared for the California
Integrated Waste Management Board These five case studies of innovative recycling strategies were prepared for the California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB) to help jurisdictions meet the state's 50% diversion goal. Each case study details model programs, costs and benefits, tips for replication, contacts, and resources for more information. Food
Waste Recovery Mini
Trash Bins Help Office Settings Reduce Waste 50 Percent and More Serving
Diverse Populations with Recycling Recycling
at Special Events Recycling
in Multi-Family Dwellings |
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