By Theresa Ryan, Sonoma Group ExCom
As many of you are aware, the Sonoma County Waste Management Agency decided in 9-1 vote to move forward with Renewable Sonoma in negotiating a new compost facility currently planned adjacent to the Waste Water Treatment Facility on Llano Road. At the same time Patrick Carte, the Agency’s Director, has stepped down to assume a position with the city of Petaluma. Unfortunately, until a new Director is chosen there may not be many decisions made of great import to the development of the facility. Sonoma Group’s Facebook page or online newsletter will announce any Sonoma County Waste Management Agency meetings regarding this topic.
One group that has been very supportive in the process of selecting a local compost facility proposal is a Zero Waste Sonoma. Zero Waste Sonoma has developed a Zero Waste Resolution over the past year which is now under consideration for adoption by the Sonoma County Waste Management Agency and all its jurisdictions to use for creating zero waste ordinances. Among its many policy directions are following:
- Set a Zero Waste goal to divert 100% of waste from landfills by 2030 and commit to reducing the total pounds per person per day, currently 4.6, by at least 10% per year
- Institute and/or expand high diversion and Zero Waste goals and programs for all government facilities, events, and projects
- Educate the public by expanding the ongoing information on the environmental and community benefits of reducing wasteful consumption and increasing diversion through reuse, repair, composting, and recycling
- Encourage all residents, businesses, and agencies to participate in composting and recycling programs while also encouraging them to reduce and reuse
- Update and Expand the Green Purchasing, Environmentally Preferable Procurement (EPP) and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) policies
- Create a countywide Construction and Demolition Reuse and Recycling Ordinance
- Empower jurisdictions and consumers to use their buying power to demand less toxic, easily reused, fully compostable or recyclable products, utilizing recycled materials whenever possible
- Encourage manufacturers to produce and market less toxic and more durable, repairable, reusable, compostable and recyclable products and/or recycled products
- Lobby regional, state, and federal legislators to implement laws, policies, and regulations that promote Zero Waste, Manufacturer Responsibility, and Environmentally Preferred Purchasing
- Inspire and incentivize service providers to embrace and collaborate in these efforts
- Support equitable pay and safe working conditions for material management workers
- Ensure fiscal sustainability by developing a sound financial model that can sustain high diversion and Zero Waste programs and enable long term delivery of quality
Representatives of CAFF, the Compost Coalition, Recology, the Santa Rosa Junior College waste specialist, 350 Sonoma, and businesses such as Amy’s Kitchen and Oliver’s, Renewable Sonoma and other groups all attend the Zero Waste Sonoma meetings. Leslie Lukacs, an international zero waste specialist and a consultant with SCS engineers in Santa Rosa, chairs the committee. If you are interested in getting up to speed on the various complex issues around how to reduce your community’s waste stream, including keeping up with the progress of our new compost facility on Llano Road, please come to the Zero Waste Sonoma meetings. They are held the last Wednesday of the month from 3-4:30 pm in the Transportation Conference Room of Sonoma County, 2300 County Center Drive Drive, Bldg. B-100.
On Sept 18th at the Sebastopol City Council meeting several people from Zero Waste Sonoma, including Sunny Galbraith, a Sonoma County Science High School teacher and a 350 Sonoma member, presented a zero-waste study plan for the city of Sebastopol to adopt. Several people presented including Marty Bennett who represents labor concerns around zero waste.
Zero Waste Sonoma has also been responsible for the production of the Zero Waste Symposium the last two years and will continue in that role. Because the Sonoma County Waste Management Agency will be changing its name to Zero Waste Sonoma, the current entity Zero Waste Sonoma faces the need to change its name. Look for an update in the near future.