Supervisors press agencies, Recology and unions as San Francisco seeks to reverse rising landfill tons

Summary

A May 23 committee hearing on the city's diversion rate reviewed causes for rising landfill tonnage — construction and demolition debris, large generators and consumption patterns — and discussed enforcement, producer responsibility and facility upgrades; unions and janitors urged more local processing and worker support.

City officials, Recology and labor representatives told a Board of Supervisors committee on May 23 that San Francisco must combine stronger enforcement, producer responsibility and infrastructure investment to reverse a recent increase in tons sent to landfill and move closer to the city's 0 Waste goal.

Supervisor Aaron Peskin Safaie (listed in transcript as Supervisor Safaie) opened the diversion hearing by reviewing the city's long‑standing 0 Waste goal, noting that while the city achieved a 75 percent diversion rate by 2008, current tonnage to landfill has leveled off and in some years increased. “We are not going to achieve 0 waste” without changes in behavior, enforcement and infrastructure, he said.

Debbie Rafael, director of the San Francisco Department of the Environment, told the committee that roughly 60 percent of material now going to landfill has a place in the blue (recycling) or green (compost)…

Supervisors press agencies, Recology and unions as San Francisco seeks to reverse rising landfill tons

Summary

Subscribe to keep reading