| Local Policy Description: | Strategy: Prevent Waste
The most effective way to reduce greenhouse gases from waste is to prevent the generation of waste in the first place. Not only are the impacts of disposal prevented, but the cost and impacts of producing and transporting products and transporting materials for recycling are also avoided.
Proposed Actions
Short-term
• Implement a waste prevention program for City government.
Medium and Long-term
• Promote waste prevention measures in the commercial sector, after having implemented a waste prevention program in City government.
• Promote residential waste prevention.
Strategy: Increase Recycling
The Commonwealth has raised the goal for recycling. To meet these goals, Cambridge—the City, businesses, institutions, and residents—will need to consider new initiatives to increase the rate of recycling.
Proposed Actions
Short-term
• Carry out projects to increase participation in existing recycling programs using community-based social marketing techniques, starting with a pilot project.
• Facilitate construction and demolition waste recycling. The state is planning to implement a construction and demolition debris disposal ban by 2003. The City can help contractors prepare for it by requiring a construction and demolition debris recycling plan as a condition of receiving a building permit.
Medium-term
• Conduct waste composition studies every two years to develop information about which new portions of the waste stream to target for recycling or reduction and to evaluate the success of the current program. The study should examine the waste streams from residences, City government buildings, schools, and the commercial sector across all the seasons of the year.
• Expand electronics recycling to include printers and other computer peripherals, as well as old phones, VCRs, stereos, and other electronic equipment.
Long-term
• Develop a program to ensure that commercial waste paper is being recycled. Since 67% of Cambridge businesses provide professional, business, real estate, or insurance services, commercial waste paper is undoubtedly the largest portion of the commercial waste stream by far. The program should be based on a monitoring program and application of the Recycling Ordinance requirements.
• Facilitate commercial food waste collection. This would help Cambridge businesses and institutions prepare for a state ban on food waste disposal that should go into effect soon under the Solid Waste Master Plan. Large institutions with food services have opportunities to efficiently divert food waste to composting facilities. Appropriate disposal facilities need to
be identified.
• Conduct a thorough composition study of the residential waste stream to assess the feasibility of a residential food waste collection program. Picking up food waste, yard waste, and cardboard in the same packer trucks should be considered.
• Develop a program to pick up used clothing for recycling at the curb. Used clothing can comprise up to 6% of the waste stream.
Strategy: Implement Environmentally Preferable Purchasing
Purchasing products with recycled content is essential to support a market
for recycled waste material.
Proposed Actions
Short-term
• Reevaluate the City’s system for tracking recycled and non-recycled paper and plastic purchases to ensure accurate recording of the quantities purchased and set goals for increasing the percentage. Work with the school department to accomplish the same steps.
• Work with stores to develop and use point-of-sale reminders to customers to purchase recycled products.
|