San Francisco
Recycling in San Francisco
San Francisco has a goal of having "zero waste" by 2020. This is in response to California's mandate for a recycling rate of 50% by 2003. San Francisco is currently recycling 70% of its waste, which is the highest recycling rate in the United States! In 1996, San Francisco was recycling at a rate of 35%. The large increase is due to their innovative policies. San Francisco is aiming to achieve a self-imposed recycling rate of 75% by 2010.
"The Fantastic Three"
San Francisco began a city-wide recycling program dubbed "The Fantastic Three" in 2000. Under the program, residents are given three carts: blue for recyclables, green for compost, and black for garbage.
The city of San Francisco sees waste as a "design flaw". Norcal Waste Systems handles the city's waste at a $38 million facility an hour outside the city. Compost is produced from the food scraps collected, and is sold as Four Course Compost for $8-10/cubic yard. Many wineries in the Napa Valley region use compost on their grape vines. Additionally, residents are entitled to 10 gallons of compost for free. The city also offers free backyard composting classes, which are very popular (about 20,000 people have taken the course).
Economic Incentives
"The most important thing we do is incentivize people financially to do the right thing and make it more expensive for them to do the wrong thing.“- Jared Blumenfeld, director of San Francisco's environmental department
Currently, the monthly collection rate for the three carts (32 gallons each) is $23.58. This rate reflects an increase of $1.29 (5.79%) with the start of the Fantastic Three program. If residents are able to recycle and compost a large amount of their trash, they can get a smaller garbage cart (20 gallons). This smaller garbage cart has a collection fee of $18.16 per month, which reflects a 23% discount.
The Future
San Francisco has a reputation for taking a stand to protect the environment. Recently, in July 2007, the city banned styrofoam. In November 2007, plastic bags were outlawed. Most currently, on April 23, 2008, the city announced that they are considering an ordinance that would make recycling required by law.
