LGC: Waste Prevention : Solid Waste Management

Over the last decade, local governments, state agencies, waste haulers, businesses, environmental groups, and millions of committed Californians have worked together to divert more than 100 million tons of materials from landfills statewide. As a result, California cities and counties are nearly two-thirds of the way towards achieving the ambitious waste diversion goals of cutting trash in half, set forth by the State Legislature with the passage of AB939 in 1990.

Solid waste prevention programs have played an important role in inspiring the public to practice the three R?s — Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.

Recycling has become a household word, as well as very convenient. Most cities offer curbside recycling services and public recycling receptacles.

Reuse is an old tradition in the United States. Anyone who has shopped at a thrift store, held a garage sale, or repair a broken bicycle has practiced reuse. Reuse is the process of taking idle goods and materials — such as clothes, computers, and building materials — and re-employing them in a manner that does not require altering their original form. Reuse can also mean just using something over and over again, such as cloth shopping bags or plastic insulated coffee mugs.

Several new reuse opportunities have emerged in the last decade, such as programs that collect and exchange specific types of materials, such as art supplies, building materials, and medical supplies.

Reducing waste at the source (know as "source reduction") is the most efficient method of minimizing waste. This method requires consuming less and using existing resources more efficiently. Because source reduction prevents stuff from entering the waste stream in the first place, it reduces the need to reuse and recycle discarded materials.

Local Government Commission Programs

Solid waste prevention programs developed by the Local Government Commission include:

Second Chance Week

Second Chance Week is a grassroots public awareness campaign held each October to promote reuse, repair, resale and donation opportunities throughout California.

During Second Chance Week, local governments, community groups, reuse businesses, and other organizations work together to hold activities geared towards giving reusable items that might otherwise be thrown away a "second chance." Since 1997, hundreds of organizations have coordinated events for 2nd Chance Week, resulting in the reuse of thousands of items statewide.

Waste Reduction Award Program (WRAP)

WRAP provides an opportunity for California businesses to gain public recognition for their outstanding efforts to reduce waste. Award winners demonstrate that cutting waste is good for the environment and for the bottom line. Since 1992, thousands of businesses have received a WRAP award.

For information about nominating a local business (or nonprofit organization), visit the WRAP web site at: http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/wrap.

California Materials Exchange (CalMAX)

CalMAX is a free service designed to find markets for materials traditionally discarded. The concept is simple: "One person?s trash is another person?s treasure." Using an on-line and printed catalog, CalMAX links up those with materials available, such as businesses, with those that need materials, such as other businesses, schools and nonprofits. Since 1992, more than 650,000 tons of materials have been diverted from landfills and over 5.5 million dollars have been saved through CalMAX.

To view a listing of "Available" and "Wanted" materials, visit the CalMAX web site at: http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/calmax.

Local Government Commission Programs

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