Willow Glen Resident
News
'Zero waste' goals shift more trash to recycling to keep landfills active
By Stephen Baxter
Despite having one of the highest recycling rates among major U.S. cities, San Jose's landfills are expected to be full by 2022.
To extend the lives of the landfills and chart a course toward sustainability, the city council on Oct. 30 set a goal of 75 percent waste diversion by 2013 and 90 percent by 2022. The new standards are part of Mayor Chuck Reed's Green Vision for San Jose, which includes 10 environmental targets also approved by the council Oct. 30.
"Zero waste" goals are met when at least 90 percent of a city's waste is diverted from landfills.
Since 2000, San Jose has diverted about 61 percent of its trash to recycling, exceeding state requirements. According to a report by San Jose-based Environmental Planning Consultants, the city's new benchmarks would require several more facilities to process waste, including composting areas, construction and demolition centers, and possibly city-run thrift stores for appliances and clothing, among other things.
Increased recycling capacity would significantly extend the lives of the landfills, the report said, and would delay the high cost of trucking garbage outside the Bay Area.
The Integrated Waste Management Strategy, which will outline strategies to reach the new goals, is being crafted by city officials and is due for council consideration by the end of 2008. It will look at new tactics such as food waste composting, efforts to reducing packaging, improved waste services for apartments and "waste to energy" technologies.
Councilman Forrest Williams said the city's use of benchmark figures to gage conservation efforts is better than just promising to be more environmentally conscious.
"The measurements are important," he said.
California cities such as Fresno and Los Angeles have pledged to meet similar zero waste goals, as wells as counties such as Santa Cruz and Marin. San Jose is already a leader in areas such as its yard-waste composting, and its program is one of the largest in the nation. The city is also ramping up efforts to recycle materials from schools and has made strides to reduce waste at such big events as the Comcast Jazz Festival and San Jose Grand Prix.
The future of the city's landfills remains uncertain.
There are five disposal sites in the city, including landfills at Kirby Canyon, Newby Island, Zanker Road and the Zanker Road Material Processing Facility. Waste is also gathered at the Guadalupe Landfill near Shannon and Hicks roads in the Almaden Valley.
San Jose's 2020 General Plan identifies candidates for future landfills in three canyons east of Coyote Valley.
