ZERO WASTE POLICY APPROVED BY SAN DIEGO CITY COUNCIL

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East County News Service

July 16, 2015 (San Diego)--San Diego’s City Council has unanimously approved a landmark measure to cut trash in landfills to zero.

To attain zero waste by 2040, the city aims to encourage more recycling of items ranging from construction waste to household items and also develop new markets for goods with recycled materials as well as compost.  The plan also includes increasing fees to discourage trash dumping.

The city has already slashed trash at its Miramar Landfill from 1.3 million tons in 1998 to 865,000 tons in 2014.

Other major cities including New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco have adopted similar zero waste ordinances after the U.S. Conference of Mayors voted to urge all cities to do so.

Mayor Kevin Faulconer said reducing waste to zero is “something we should 100 percent support,” the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. The measure could also save taxpayers money by extending the life of the Miramar landfill, Councilman David Alvarez observed.

One thing the city can’t do currently is charge residents for trash pickup or fine those who fail to recycle, under a nearly century-old People’s Ordinance.   The San Diego Taxpayer Association, which usually opposes any suggestion of tax hikes, has said it supports amending the outdated law to help the city attain zero waste.


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