Los Angeles Becomes National Leader in Zero Waste

SEATTLE (Waste Advantage): Following a historic vote by the Los Angeles City Council, multiple members of the City Council held a press conference alongside 200 members of the Don’t Waste La Coalition in celebration of the final approval of the Zero Waste LA exclusive franchise system. Zero Waste LA will make Los Angeles a national leader in modern and sustainable waste collection, and set the city on track for diverting 90 percent of its waste from landfills by 2025. With this new system, all city residents and businesses will have access to recycling, expanded compost collection, and improved job quality.

Councilwoman Nury Martinez underscored the long process that the city has undertaken with a goal of increasing recycling, reducing greenhouse gases and lifting health and safety standards in one of the most dangerous industries in the nation. The Councilwoman said, “I championed Zero Waste L.A. from day one as an environmental justice advocate. Now, six years later, I’m thrilled to cast my vote for this historic legislation as the Councilwoman from the San Fernando Valley. I applaud all of our City Council and community advocates who have remained steadfast on this journey to ensure that L.A. will lead the way to modern and sustainable waste management for cities across the country. This effort will help communities that have been traditionally hurt by this industry. I’ll always be an environmental justice advocate at heart, and today’s vote makes me very proud.”

L.A. City Councilmember Paul Koretz, the co-author of the motion to create Zero Waste LA, added his enthusiasm, “I have no doubt that the businesses selected to service Angelenos in this historic new system will meet the rigorous standards we have established, and provide all of our city’s residents with quality customer service and recycling. Best of all, we will dramatically reduce waste truck trips on our streets and greenhouse gas emissions. I have been a champion of this since day one, and, after six years of work, the vision that we set forth with Zero Waste LA is now a national model. New York, San Diego, and other cities across the country are seeking to follow in our footsteps.”

Courtesy: This article originally ran in the January 2017 issue of Waste Advantage Magazine. View