Opinion – August 14

Editorial: City Council adopts ‘Zero Waste’ plan to divert all waste by 2040

By Scott Sherman | Councilmember

Last month, the City Council voted to approve an innovative plan that calls for reducing all of the city’s trash to zero by the year 2040.

The plan, called “Zero Waste,” lays out a list of strategies that will achieve a 75 percent trash diversion rate by 2020, a 90 percent rate by 2035, and zero waste by 2040. Our current rate of diversion stands at 67 percent.

Not only is this good for the environment but the plan is also a good deal for San Diego taxpayers.

(l to r) Councilmember Chris Cate, Mayor Kevin Faulconer, Councilmember Sherri Lightner and Mario Sierra, the city’s environmental services director, at the Miramar Landfill. (Courtesy of sandiego.gov)

The Zero Waste plan will help prolong the life of the Miramar Landfill. Instead of using taxpayer dollars to build a new landfill, we can instead reduce and reuse.

To reach the 75 percent diversion rate, the city would need to reduce, reuse, and recycle an additional 332,000 tons of waste annually.

This will be done by:

— Diverting fibrous yard trimmings, 18,000 tons a year.

— Require franchise haulers to reach a 50 percent diversion rate by 2020, 94,000 tons per year.

— Organics diversion to comply with AB 1826, 120,000 tons per year.

— Revisions to the city’s recycling ordinance, 13,000 tons per year.

— Creation of a Resource Recovery Center at Miramar Landfill to assist non-franchise haulers to divert much of their material for reuse, 80,000 tons per year.

I am very excited to see this plan implemented. As always, I would like to hear your feedback and ideas on how we can improve.

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—Scott Sherman represents District 7 on the San Diego City Council, which includes Mission Valley.