Now is not the time to lock the City of Tucson into an extractive, high-carbon pathway.  Instead of pursuing waste-to-energy and other end-of-pipe waste management system, the City should prioritize strategies that reduce the generation of waste at the source.  A diverse and dynamic city like Tucson is well-suited to lead our state with zero waste policies and programs that change the existing systems—where we “throwaway” nearly everything—into community systems where we recover nearly everything for recycling, composting and reuse.  More and more cities across the country are taking this approach, and we can, too.

Strategies to do this include:  

1. Enhancing community education and outreach on how to reduce waste and increase recycling/composting/reuse at home, at work and on the go.

2. Reducing use of single-use items and scaling up reusable and refillable product delivery systems.

3.  Building capacities for effective food waste prevention at different stages of the food chain, including retail, restaurants and households. 

4. Growing market opportunities for reused material, repair services and collaborative consumption.

5.  Charging for trash collection based on the amount disposed through a variable-rate pricing structure.

6. Establishing a universal recycling requirement for multi-family and commerical buildings.

7. Expanding department cart-monitoring efforts to reduce the amount of material contamination in the residential recycling program.

8.  Enabling separate management of organics for composting through curbside collection and drop-off facilities.

9. Advocating for state and federal legislation that assign producers, or brand owners, responsibility for end-of-life management of products.

10.  Fostering decentralized zero waste infrastructure throughout the community, such as circular economy campuses and resource recovery hubs.

11.  Incorporating zero waste goals and policies into the local climate action plan.

12.  Engaging a wide range of stakeholders through collaboration and partnerships to achieve zero waste.

Additional Resources:

• Going Zero Waste
• Alternative Zero Waste Plan for the City of Tucson
• Zero Waste Master Plan
• Zero Waste is a Climate Change Solution