What Should California's largest city do with its trash?
(L.A. City's leaders are seeking to increase the amount of trash that is diverted from going into a landfill from the current 62% recycling/diversion rate to between 72 to 81% or even up to 100% with more futuristic trash processing technologies that are used in other countries.)
For the first time in the history of solid waste planning within the City, Los Angeles is developing the Solid Waste Integrated Resources Plan, also known as “SWIRP”.
This plan seeks input from stakeholders representing a broad section of the community, from diverse cultural backgrounds and income levels, and will result in the development and implementation of a 20 year master plan for the City’s solid waste and recycling programs.
SWIRP will outline the City’s objectives to provide sustainability, resource conservation, source reduction, recycling, renewable energy, maximum material recovery, public health and environmental protection for solid waste management planning through 2030 — leading Los Angeles towards being a “zero waste” city.
Achieving zero waste will require radical changes in three areas: product creation (manufacturing and packaging), product use (use of sustainable, recycled and recyclable products), and product disposal (resource recovery or landfilling). Change in these areas will impact how we live, work and interact with the environment. Stakeholders will be instrumental in guiding this visionary twenty year solid waste management plan.