How San Francisco Is Becoming A Zero Waste City

To watch the next episode about how Lauren Singer fit 2 years of trash in a single jar, click here: According to the EPA, the national recycling rate in the U. S. is only about 34. That means most of our solid waste goes to landfills and incinerators including recyclable items like paper, glass, metal and plastic. Massive amounts of food waste that can be composted is clogging landfills, creating dangerous greenhouse gases. Many cities are starting to tackle this problem by implementing policies to help curb the waste by recycling and composting more. It s known as the zero waste movement, and San Francisco is on the forefront. Other cities that have zero waste goals include Portland, Seattle, Minneapolis, Austin, and Oakland. But San Francisco has been the most aggressive. In 2009 the board of supervisors passed an ordinance requiring all residents and business to recycle and compost