ProGov21 Policy Library

In 2006, Boulder’s City Council passed a Zero Waste ordinance and committed to a waste diversion rate of 85% by 2025. Upon adopting curbside recycling and composting programs, in 2014, the city of Boulder saw a significant increase in the amount of waste diverted from landfills. Despite...

Arlington, Virginia has been long hailed as a leader in environmental initiatives and in 2015, the county became the first in Virginia to pass a Zero Waste resolution. While Arlington already recycles nearly 47% of trash, the county’s strong commitment to the environment, coupled...

By introducing new systems for managing trash, cities can move toward zero waste and capture a range of worker, community, and environmental benefits. In particular, through implementing sustainable recycling programs, local governments can utilize trash management systems to fight...

In this report, the Rockefeller Foundation and the Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy (LAANE) outline a new model for recycling job growth with the potential to encourage quality jobs and to improve the environment. LAANE is advocating for a transformation of the waste and recycling...

On its Zero Waste journey, Missoula, Montana lags far behind on recycling, recovering only 20% of its total waste. Since 2014, the grassroots citizens group called Zero Waste Missoula has been working to improve Missoula’s low recycling rate and turn the city’s attention to waste...

This document is an internal performance evaluation of the City of Berkeley's Zero Waste goal of eliminating materials sent to landfills by the year 2020. According to this evaluation, the amount of solid waste sent to landfills from the Berkeley community dropped by approximately...

Managing a city’s waste and recycling sector is a core governmental responsibility and, when done well, helps cities realize benefits and meet constituents’ expectations. Residents expect government to prevent pollution and protect neighborhoods, create good quality jobs, and operate...

Resolving our society’s trash problem is one of the major environmental challenges of our time. In Los Angeles County, this crisis has reached urgent proportions. As one of the largest waste markets in the country, Los Angeles County generates 23 million tons of waste and recyclable...

This report identifies the root causes of Baltimore’s failed and inequitable waste system, and how its impacts intersect with racial and economic justice. The Baltimore Sustainability Plan will enable the city to move towards a new system of fair development aligned with human rights...

Zero Waste redesigns our systems and resource use—from product design to disposal—to prevent resource depletion, conserve energy, mitigate climate change, reduce water usage, prevent pollution, and stop ecosystem destruction. This roadmaps provides a guide for individuals to strive...

Under the City's RENEW LA Plan, the City committed to reaching Zero Waste by diverting 70% of the solid waste generated in the City by 2013, diverting 90% by 2025, and becoming a zero waste city by 2030. In order to meet these goals, increasing recycling and diversion in the commercial...

Austin Resource Recovery Master Plan, a comprehensive plan designed to achieve Zero Waste in the City of Austin while enhancing the services we provide to this community....

In December 2000, Massachusetts’ Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) issued the Beyond 2000 Solid Waste Master Plan — A Policy Framework, its plan and vision for managing solid waste over the coming decade. This report outlines necessary steps DEP needs to take in order to...