Testimony of Daniela Ochoa
Zero Waste Committee member, Sierra Club Washington DC Chapter
at the
Facilities & Procurement Public Oversight Roundtable (Virtual Platform)
regarding the
Department of General Services Sustainability and Energy Management Division
Thank you for this opportunity, we agree with everything mentioned by Lara Levison and Matthias Paustias. On behalf of our committee, I would like to ask you the the following questions:
1) Your commitment to the zero waste program: please communicate what is the plan for a zero waste program that applies to all municipal buildings that is consistent with the Sustainable DC targets? Since DGS cannot do this alone, what does DGS need from the Mayor, Council, other agencies? Sierra Club?
2) Create accountability to performance - can you publish the master hauling schedule including all services: Trash, Recycle, Organics and building-by-building waste performance data, or by route if building-by-building is not available along with a plan for making building-by-building waste data available. Can you please commit to an actual date when the data will be published?
3) Build Leadership - Can you please include expertise & enthusiasm for zero waste/recycling as a requirement for the Associate Director of Sustainability position? Do you have any update on filling this position?
Notes on schools:
All schools, DCPS and public charter are "required" to recycle under municipal regulations, and this could be, but has not been, enforced by DPW.
DCPS schools are in DC municipal buildings so DGS is responsible for their hauling services but is not responsible for leadership of the occupants in the buildings. DCPS will not truly have a functioning recycling or waste reduction program until DCPS leadership is made responsible for recycling performance. A successful program can result not only in financial savings for both departments, but to bring DC closer to carbon neutrality. At the same time, with the right leadership from DGS, DGS can put in place policies and procedures that make it possible for all DC municipal buildings to achieve high performance in recycling and towards zero waste. DGS was able to help the schools that wanted to make significant progress through the DCPS Recycles! program which made it possible for schools to recycle and opt in to organics recycling by providing hauling services, standardized supplies, and on-site support.
Public charter schools which serve about half of DC public school students are in most cases responsible for their own hauling services (exceptions are co-located schools). So a zero waste program that supports all schools would require leadership from the Mayor and involve clarifying responsibilities of DME/OSSE/PCSB/DCPS/DGS/DPW and holding all of those agencies as well as individual schools accountable.
Implementing these small but significant policy changes will be a symbolic testimony of the loable commitment our city has towards shaping today a future where learning spaces match our values and goals for a resilient and sustainable DC. The fulfillment of each of our 3 points, especially in the DCPS buildings, including schools will be tangible milestones towards environmental justice and a statement for living our values.
Thank you!