Zero Waste is the philosophical fabric into which all programmatic elements of the Logan County Solid Waste Management District will be woven.
What is Zero Waste?
Zero Waste is a philosophy that combines the elements of resource utilization and product or service design with a focus on the entire life cycle of the product or service.
The focus throughout is:
- minimizing virgin resource utilization
- maximizing reuse and recycled resources, service or product delivery with minimal carbon footprint
- and end-of-life de-construction resulting in materials that can be reused, recycled, or reduced through composting or natural decomposition cycles.
Zero Waste requires design forethought upstream, during product planning, so that resource recovery, recycling and composting downstream can occur with minimal or no waste to bury or burn.
Logan County is Officially a Zero Waste Zone
In March, 2007 the Board of Logan County Commissioners passed a Zero Waste Resolution (.pdf) setting the goal of achieving zero waste to the landfill from all Logan County sources by 2020, identifying Logan County as a Zero Waste Zone, and naming the Solid Waste Management District as the lead agency in moving all constituents in the county toward the Zero Waste goal.
To realize the promise of Zero Waste the District must:
- expand recycling programs
- increase participation in those programs
- improve regional recycling and composting opportunities
- encourage others to develop innovative and effective methods of waste reduction
- develop incentives to move public and private interests toward Zero Waste methodologies
- educate to encourage attitudes and behaviors toward green purchasing, resource conservation and recycling.
Realistically the District recognizes change takes time, and in some cases trial, evaluation, re-trial, and refinement. As the District introduces new programs or methods we will identify needed changes in private, public, and business behaviors, and attempt to identify pathways and solutions. In some instances, while the overreaching goals are clear the exact paths to attainment may not yet be identified or discovered, but Zero Waste is the basic framework for the future in this District.
New Programs to Help Us Reach Our Zero Waste Goal
The District has already implemented some new programs, such as full time drop off recycling sites, and pilot studies zero waste events, some of which have resulted in overwhelming success in reducing waste and increasing recycling and composting.
Through thoughtful planning, careful implementation and constant evaluation the District hopes to incorporate self-correcting methodologies into all programming so vital resources and time can be used most effectively in moving the District toward the Zero Waste goal by 2020.
Together We Can Make a Difference!