Sandwich Success Story!

While overall recycling rates in MA have stalled for the past decade, Sandwich, MA and other municipalities have defied that trend by adopting Pay-as-You-Throw (PAYT) programs. Studies have shown that PAYT programs are the fastest, surest route to reducing solid waste and increasing recycling rates.

In Sandwich, MA, the results were clear and impressive within six months of operation, with a dramatic drop of 41% in solid waste tonnage alongside a 65% increase in recyclable materials collection.

Many towns move to PAYT as a hedge against the ever increasing cost of trash disposal. While amounts vary from town to town, Sandwich is typical of other PAYT communities in realizing the financial benefit of reduced trash tonnage, saving $65,000 in tipping fees alone. 

With less trash to throw away, transfer Station traffic also fell making reduced Transfer Station hours a viable option for the town. Less DPW time spent at the Transfer Station frees up time for DPW staff to work on other town projects in need of attention.

A growing number of communities have found that PAYT helps turn a waste stream into a revenue stream. Which do you think is a smarter use of tax dollars—paying to bury trash in landfills and burn in incinerators or funding essential town services?

Go to: http://tinyurl.com/87b5kju to read the Cape Cod Times article on Sandwich’s PAYT program.

Recycling gets boost from Lisa Jackson!

As shared by Erica Trout Virginia Recycling Association:

"Lisa Jackson, head of EPA, was interviewed on the television show “Dr. Oz” about water safety. Dr. Oz’s final question was, “What is the most important message you can send to people?” Ms. Jackson’s answer is that if there were an 80% - 90% national recycling rate we could create millions of jobs and recycling would become its own supply chain. She went on to say that people think it’s such a simple thing when they see the green bins set out, but recycling can be its own energy program and water savings program. To see the full response click on the link below. Move the timer in the control bar that pops up to 3 minutes 55 seconds."

http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/water-safety-what-you-can-do 

A Zero Waste Boston?

Kudos and thanks to the Sierra Club National Zero Waste Team for its successful advocacy on behalf of EPA Region1’s proposal to help communities across NE become Zero Waste communities. The proposal was granted, which means that Region 1 will be rolling out the program sometime during 2012.

The program will provide a golden opportunity for municipalities to develop sustainable waste management plans with the expertise and support of the EPA and allow towns and cities to work collaboratively within a network of like-minded communities in the region to reduce emissions and pollution, and conserve energy and material resources. 

A Zero Waste approach involves development of a plan to systematically reduce waste, year by year, through a variety of waste reduction strategies. Waste reduction strategies include reuse, recycling, Extended Producer Responsibility programs and composting.

One of the most significant benefits of Zero Waste planning in the region will be reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. While transportation and energy sectors continue to be targeted by many government and environmental organizations for emissions reduction efforts, an EPA report released in 2009 identified the production, transportation, and disposal of food, products and packaging as the largest sector of GHG emissions. This means that waste reduction is the most promising area for achieving significant reductions in GHG emissions in this country.

A tale of two cities
San Francisco established Zero Waste goals in 2002 as part of its integrated waste management program. The city, comparable to Boston as a coastal community with an ethnically diverse population of under a million, has achieved a 77% solid waste diversion rate . Boston’s recycling rate hovers at the 20% level.

The climate change clock is ticking. The EPA grant award to Region 1 will support many communities striving to lower emissions through responsible waste management and gives Boston a perfect opportunity to change its waste reduction status from ‘bottom of the waste heap’ to leader of the pack in curbing GHG emissions as a Zero Waste community.

Welcome!

Welcome to the Massachusetts Sierra Club's new Zero Waste page and blog.