Farm To Pantry. FTP gleans wherever there is healthy, fresh produce to be harvested in Sonoma County. You may also drop produce off in Healdsburg, Forestville, Sebastopol and Santa Rosa. Click here for details. How does it work? Volunteers receive an email from us when there is an opportunity in [...]
Seattle is getting ready to become the first city in the country to eliminate fast-food packaging from the landfill. Starting July 1, most of the wrappers, cups and packaging that comes with a restaurant meal will have to be recyclable or compostable. Seattle Public Utilities analysts predict this will keep a minimum 6,000 tons of waste out of the landfill each year --about the same amount as a garbage train 100 cars long. Safeco Field is getting a head start on the new rules. This season staff worked with vendors to replace the food packaging at the ballpark with recyclable and compostable alternatives, and staff removed most of the garbage cans, replacing them with bins for compostables. There are still some items that go in the garbage, such as Pepsi cups, potato chip and kettle corn wrappers and tartar sauce containers, but the program has been a success.
Waste reduction is one of California’s key strategies for reaching the greenhouse gas reduction goals mandated by AB 32, the 2006 Global Warming Solutions Act. As soon as next year, a series of measures will be implemented that will move us toward reduced landfill methane emissions, higher recycling and zero waste - including mandatory commercial recycling. Let’s use these upcoming mandates to get ahead of the curve, to better prepare our business community, and move toward a system in which every product is repairable, reusable, compostable or recyclable. At the workshop we will discuss the local application of these mandates and introduce some innovative local businesses already on their way to creating zero waste.
The sale of Sonoma County’s solid waste system is now off the table. The County has 3.5 months to make set of crucial interrelated decisions. It is believed that to reopen the landfill each of the cities must commit their waste stream. A new task force, the Solid Waste Advisory Group (SWAG), is being organized which will provide a highly structured community forum to discuss and plan long-term solid waste management strategies. Led by Supervisor Zane, the group will include Supervisor Carrillo and a representative from each city council, assisted by a large advisory group with members from the business community, environmental groups, the Local Task Force for Solid Waste, city managers and county staff.
Zero Waste Sonoma County and the Sonoma County Conservation Council present Turning the Tide on Waste Landfill Issues and Zero Waste Communities Workshop Saturday, March 6, 2010, 1 - 4pm, $15 in advance, $20 at the door Sebastopol Veterans’ Auditorium, 282 South High Street, Sebastopol To register, please send a note [...]
Dear Santa Rosa City Council, Please consider slowing the waste contracting process down, do an inventory of all local discard related activites and then hold a series of town hall meetings where all voices are welcome. Diversion First: The 2007 Sonoma County Waste Characterization Study reports that 70% of what [...]
The recent Sonoma County landfill divestiture debate brought up lots of questions that weren’t directly answered by the process. Thankfully the Board of Supervisors has embraced a more balanced strategy; one which will involve the whole community and support our sustainability related goals. Before the next round begins, let’s all get on the same page. This preliminary discussion is designed to introduce relevant terms and concepts - such as flow control and indemnify from liability, diversion mandates and material bans, and green purchasing and zero waste. At the same time, we will be discussing how other municipalities are dealing with these issues, and how Sonoma County could further maximize diversion and reduce costs.
Can Courts Get Waste Management to Do What's Right? Posted on the Pacific Sun website by Ed Mainland, a resident of the Bel Marin Keys neighborhood, on Dec 15, 2009 at 10:40 pm Waste Management Inc. (WMI) is the mega-corporation that owns and operates Redwood Landfill, a dump next to [...]
Here are a few ideas to get this "What Next" discussion rolling. Though they may not directly help with landfill repair or closure, these suggestions could reduce system costs and free up money for planning. 1) Apply our existing landfill material bans to our trash carts and out-haul vehicles. 2) Implement mandatory recycling 5 years early. 3) Recycle Better – At Home, Work, School And Play.
Thanks to no votes by our two newest supervisors, Shirlee Zane and Efren Carrillo, the sale of our landfill and solid waste system to Republic Services is off the table. That is great news, but now what? Or as posed by the 10/28 Press Democrat editorial, what next? Here are [...]