The more goods people in Alameda buy, the greater their relative emissions (i.e., the emissions resulting from their manufacture, transport, use, and disposal), and the greater the adverse effects of those expenditures. Waste strategies and the City’s Zero Waste Implementation Plan (ZWIP) aim to reduce overall resource demand, shift demand to lower-resource alternatives, and lower the material inputs for resources consumed. This plan couples traditional municipal roles, like solid waste diversion, with emerging roles, like facilitating a sharing economy.
Data and Metrics
Strategies, Key Actions, and Targets
W-1: Solid Waste Diversion.
Through Senate Bill (SB) 1383, State policy requires jurisdictions to divert 75% of organic materials from landfills by 2025 and increase the amount of edible food that can be donated to food recovery organizations. Diverting organic material, including food waste, is a crucial step to meeting long-term goals. Alameda will divert recyclables and organics from landfills in accordance with State targets and reduce greenhouse gas emissions related to landfilled waste through the implementation of the Zero Waste Implementation Plan.
W-2: Goods and Services.
This strategy aims to encourage behavior change around purchasing and waste through education, highlighting local businesses and products, and partnerships and/or lobbying with other local agencies. There are many organizations operating in Alameda that work to foster a sharing and reuse economy within the community. For example, the Bay Area MakerFarm regularly hosts repair clinics and houses a compost hub, while Alameda Backyard Growers supports urban farming as well as promotes food resilience within the community through a food recovery program. Implementing the circular economy reduces the need to purchase new items and reduces the amount of trash that ends up producing methane in the landfill.