Zero Waste: To Cool the Planet

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Zero Waste To Cool the Planet

• Presented to Zero Waste Conference, Hawaii,
  September 12, 2008
• by Gary Liss, Gary Liss Associates
  916-652-7850, gary_at_garyliss.com
• www.garyliss.com

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Definition of Zero Waste

• Zero Waste is a goal that is both pragmatic and
  visionary, to guide people to emulate sustainable
  natural cycles, where all discarded materials are
  resources for others to use. 
• Zero Waste means designing and managing products
  and processes to reduce 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 may be a
  threat to planetary, human, animal or plant
  health.

www.zwia.org/standards.html
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Zero Waste Global Warming

• Landfills are one of the largest sources of
• Greenhouse Gases (GHG)
• Methane is 21-72x more potent than CO2

• 38 of all US GHG from resource extraction,
  transportation, processing and manufacturing
  (Ref. David Alloway)
• Recycling composting all discards in CA
  eliminating all auto exhaust in CA
• Urban Environmental Accords includes Zero Waste
  by 2040

Wasteberg
71 tons upstream
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Zero Waste Communities(www. ZWIA.org)

• NZ Entire Country
• Over 66 of NZ Cities
• Buenos Aires, Argentina
• Seattle, WA
• Boulder, CO
• Austin, TX
• Central Vermont Waste Mgt.District
• San Luis Obispo, CA
• Fresno, CA
• Del Norte County, CA
• Burbank, CA
• San Jose, CA

• San Francisco, CA
• Oakland, CA
• Santa Cruz County, CA
• Berkeley, CA
• Palo Alto, CA
• Marin County
• Los Angeles (in progress)
• Chicago, IL (in progress)
• Halifax, Nova Scotia
• Toronto, Ontario
• Nelson, British Columbia (BC)
• Regional Districts in BC

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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
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Zero Waste Businesses are Leading the Way (90
Waste Diversion)

• NUMMI, Fremont, CA
• Pillsbury
• Playa Vista, LA, CA,
• San Diego Wild Animal Park
• Scomas Restaurant, SF
• Vons-Safeway
• Xerox Corp
• Ricoh Electronics
• Toyota
• 2800 Businesses in Japan

• Anheuser-Busch, Fairfield, CA
• Apple Computer, Elk Grove, CA
• Epson, OR
• Fetzer Vineyards
• Frankies Bohemian Café, SF
• Greens Restaurant, SF
• Hewlett-Packard, Roseville, CA
• Mad River Brewery, CA
• New Belgium Brewery, Fort Collins, CO

From http//www.grrn.org/zerowaste/business/prof
iles.php For more ZW Biz info www.earthresource.o
rg/zerowaste.html
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Why Businesses go to ZW

• Policies (requests, mandates, bans, regulations,
  continuous improvement)
• Economics (savings, fees, deposits, incentives)
• Avoid liabilities and penalties
• Green marketing (customer and employee loyalty
  greenest of all)
• Activist pressure (shareholder resolutions and
  consumer actions)
• Good will

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Business Throughput Pie Shows Efficiency as
Driver

• Blue Output related to Product
• Grey Non-product Output
• This shows the inescapable logic of zero
  emissions for efficiency

Source Gil Friend, Natural Logic
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Pillars of Zero Waste

• Upstream
• Downstream
• Green Businesses and Jobs

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Upstream 71 x MSW Waste
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US Municipal Discards 1960-2000
TotalWeight
250
200
150
Millions of Tons
100
50
Organics
0
1960
1970
1980
1990
2000
Source Bill Sheehan, Product Policy Project
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The shift to EPR in North America is happening on
the West Coast and is being led by local
governments
British Columbia
Northwest
Midwest
California
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CA 20-Year History of EPR
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California Product Stewardship Council

• MISSION
• To shift Californias product waste management
  system from one focused on government funded and
  ratepayer financed waste diversion to one that
  relies on producer responsibility in order to
  reduce public costs and drive improvements in
  product design.

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Downstream

• Reduce - Waste is not inevitable
• Reuse products and packaging, retaining their
  original form and function
• Recycle or compost the rest

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VALUE OF L.A. DISCARDS
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Resource Recovery Parks

• Reuse, Recycling Composting Processing,
  Manufacturing and Sales
• Like Airports or Shopping Centers
• Drop Shop Convenience for Public
• Lower Waste Fees
• Buy _at_ Discounts

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Monterey RR Park
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San Luis Obispo RR Park
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Keys For RR Park Success

• Co-Locate with Transfer Station (TS) or Landfill
• Harness Avoided Costs of Transfer and/or Disposal
• Operator Incentives Rules
• Involve Local Recycling Businesses
• Cost To Public Lower If Source Separated
• Cluster Resources Reuse Is 1st Priority

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Green Businesses and Jobs

• Expand, attract, and support green businesses and
  green collar jobs
• Reserve sufficient land for Zero Waste
  infrastructure

• Buy green goods and
• services and use
• Green Buildings
• Recycling Industry
• Size of Auto Industry

10,000 tons Landfilled- 1 job Composted 4
jobs Recycled 10 jobs Reused 75 250
jobs Source www.ilsr.org
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Incentives for Resource Management

• Responsibility for Products and Packaging
  Takeback, End-of-Life
• Pay For What You Want Waste Prevention, Reuse,
  Recycling Composting
• Dont Pay For Wasting (Or Much Less)
• Recognize Wasting As Symptom Of Inefficiency and
  that its Not Inevitable
• Harness Forces Of Marketplace To Achieve Goals 

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New Rules Help Local Business Go Green

• Source Separate
• Reuse and Recycle Construction and Demolition
  (CD) Debris
• Organics Out of Landfills (including food scraps)
• Planning, Zoning, Incentives, Rates
• Takeback Products Packaging

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Purchasing for Zero Waste

• Precautionary Principle
• Return to Vendor
• Lease, Rent and Share Equipment
• Reduce Packaging
• Reusable Shipping Containers
• Buy Recyclable, Recycled and Compostable Items
• Buy Remanufactured Equipment
• Purchase Durables
• Buy Less Toxic Products

Source Alicia Culver, Green Purchasing Institute
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Zero Waste Hawaii County Resolution 356 07

• Highest and best use of materials to eliminate
  waste and pollution by emphasizing a closed loop
  system of production and consumption, moving in
  logical increments toward a goal of zero waste
  principles

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Zero Waste Principles inCounty Resolution 356 07

• Improving downstream reuse/recycle of
  end-of-life products and materials to ensure
  their highest and best use
• Pursuing upstream re-design strategies to
  reduce the volume and toxicity of discarded
  products and materials, and promote low-impact of
  reduced-consumption lifestyles
• Fostering and supporting the use of discarded
  products and materials to stimulate and drive
  local economic and workforce development

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Climate Change Resources

• Compostable Organics Out of Landfills (COOL)
  2012 www.cool2012.com/
• Garbage is Not Renewable Energy
• www.grrn.org/landfill/notrenewableenergy/index
  .html
• Stop Trashing the Climate www.stoptrashingtheclim
  ate.org
• Zero Waste for Zero Warming Campaign
  www.zerowarming.org/
• Sierra Club Zero Waste Committee
  www.sierraclub.org/committees/zerowaste/

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Zero Waste Resources

• GrassRoots Recycling Network www.grrn.org/zerowas
  te
• Earth Resource Foundation www.earthresource.org/z
  erowaste.html
• Zero Waste International Alliance www.zwia.org
• Zero Emissions Research Initiatives
  www.zeri.org
• Zero Waste Communities Yahoo Group
  http//groups.yahoo.com/group/ZeroWasteCommunities
  /
• Zero Waste Business Yahoo Group
  http//finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/ZWBusiness/
• Eco-Cycle http//www.ecocycle.org/zero/index.cfm

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If youre not for Zero Waste, how much waste are
you for?