Some examples of places that have adopted Zero Waste resolutions, goals, plans, or strategies include:

United States

• City of San Francisco, CA
• Del Norte County, CA
• Palo Alto, CA
• Santa Cruz County, CA
• San Luis Obispo County, CA
• City of Seattle, WA
• Carrboro, NC

Canada

• City of Nelson, British Columbia
• Regional District of Kootenay Boundary, British Columbia
• Regional District of Nanaimo, British Columbia
• City of Toronto, Ontario

Australia

• Canberra, Australian Capital Territory
• Eurobodalla Shire Council, New South Wales
• South Australia State Government
• West Australia State Government

New Zealand

• Since 1999, 48 of the 74 (66%) Local Authorities in New Zealand have adopted a Zero Waste policy; most are aiming for Zero Waste by 2015.” (Zero Waste New Zealand)

Great Britain

• Zero Waste UK—Seven councils in the UK have signed up to the Zero Waste Charter, launched at Westminster in June 2002.
• London Remade (a partnership comprising the business community, London Boroughs and regional government, the waste management industry and the not-for-profit sector).

Asia

• The Municipal Corporation of Delhi, India

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Further information regarding these efforts and other related Zero Waste examples can be found at the following Web sites:

• EcoCycle; www.ecocycle.org
  This site includes brief descriptions of both businesses and communities already started on the road to ZW, samples of graphics and videos for communicating about ZW, and practical strategies for implementing a ZW strategy.
• Grassroots Recycling Network; www.grn.org
  This site provides extensive background information on Zero Waste, examples of ZW communities and businesses, and access to a wide range of downloadable articles and resources.
• Zero Waste Alliance, www.zerowaste.org
  Based in the Pacific Northwest, this site has valuable information and case studies for businesses and organizations looking to adopt a ZW strategy.
• Zero Waste Inc., www.zwinc.org
• Zero Waste International Alliance; www.zwia.org
  The site includes a set of Zero Waste Business Principles and links to a wide range of other organizations working for ZW.
• Zero Waste New Zealand Trust; www.zerowaste.co.nz
  Provides comprehensive information on ZW as it has developed in New Zealand as well as extensive links to ZW activities around the world (see “Resources for ZW – Website Links”).

Vermonters currently generate about 600,000 tons of waste each year, according to the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources. This translates into almost one ton per person each year. Through reuse and recycling, residents kept about a third of these materials out of landfills in 2001. That means we still had 402,000 tons of waste to put somewhere!

So, how can we divert more materials from landfills and waste incineration? How can we capture the resources in all this “waste” and keep it in use? How can we stimulate waste-based economic development and help existing businesses reduce operating costs through Zero Waste?

This is a new path for the District, and we welcome your ideas and innovative solutions to these kinds of questions. The links provided here offer some information on this growing international movement toward Zero Waste, and the District and Vermont services available to help you take steps toward this goal in your communities.

We welcome your comments and suggestions. We’ll be adding to our Zero Waste resources over time so please check back!

Want to learn more?

• What is Zero Waste?
• CVSWMD Zero Waste Fact Sheet
• Waste-based Economic Development

ZW Resources for Municipalities and Schools:

• Working Toward Zero Waste guidebook for municipalities – 2MB PDF
• Searchable A-Z Guide: Includes Fast Facts about each items, and how to recover the resources or safely dispose of it in the District. Developed for residents, but municipalities and schools may access some of the services by appointment.
• Recycling Depots
• Reuse Business Database
• Links to Waste Reduction Resources

Vermonters currently generate about 600,000 tons of waste each year, according to the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources. This translates into almost one ton per person each year. Through reuse and recycling, residents kept about a third of these materials out of landfills in 2001. That means we still had 402,000 tons of waste to put somewhere!

So, how can we divert more materials from landfills and waste incineration? How can we capture the resources in all this “waste” and keep it in use? How can we stimulate waste-based economic development and help existing businesses reduce operating costs through Zero Waste?

This is a new path for the District, and we welcome your ideas and innovative solutions to these kinds of questions. The links provided here offer some information on this growing international movement toward Zero Waste, and the District and Vermont services available to help you take steps toward this goal in your communities.

Want to learn more?

• What is Zero Waste?
• CVSWMD Zero Waste Fact Sheet
• Waste-based Economic Development

ZW Resources for Small Businesses:

• See the Business Composting Program and Hazardous Waste sections.
• Links to Waste Reduction Resources

We welcome your comments and suggestions. We’ll be adding to our Zero Waste resources over time so please check back! comments@cvswmd.org

Vermonters currently generate about 600,000 tons of waste each year, according to the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources. This translates into almost one ton per person each year. Through reuse and recycling, residents kept about a third of these materials out of landfills in 2001. That means we still had 402,000 tons of waste to put somewhere!

So, how can we divert more materials from landfills and waste incineration? How can we capture the resources in all this “waste” and keep them in use?

The first steps toward Zero Waste involve making informed decisions about what we purchase, how we use and maintain goods, and what we do with materials when we’re done with them. These steps are fairly simple, but the effects of each decision can be felt in our region and around the world.

Want to learn more?

• What is Zero Waste? (456KB PDF)

District ZW Resources for Residents:

• Searchable A-Z Guide for Residents: Includes Fast Facts about each item, and how to recover the resources or safely dispose of it in the District.
• Recycling Depots
• Reuse Business Database
• See the Reuse, Recycling and Household Hazardous Waste sections for information about these Resident Services.

We welcome your comments and suggestions. We’ll be adding to our Zero Waste efforts and resources over time, so please check back! comments@cvswmd.org

Zero Waste won’t eliminate discards. Rather, working toward Zero Waste means that we will strive to capture all of the resources in such products so they can be reused and recycled in this region, instead of wasted by burying them in a landfill or burning them in an incinerator. Reducing waste up front through good product choices is also a critical component of a Zero Waste effort.

See the Zero Waste sections for more information about our efforts and this growing international movement.

The Central Vermont Solid Waste Management District developed a new Solid Waste Implementation Plan (SWIP) to comply with the state of Vermont’s new plan. The SWIP expresses the District’s vision for this region and will guide all solid waste programming and planning for the foreseeable future.

We solicited public input to ensure that this document represents the CVSWMD member towns and residents. To help gather this information, we held six public hearings on the draft Plan, and took public comment during our regular meetings of the District board of supervisors. In addition, we encouraged District towns and residents to offer input on draft sections of the Plan as they were developed.

The completed Plan was sent to the state May 1, 2003 and was approved by the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources in April 2006.
For a printed copy, please contact the District –  phone: 802-229-9383 ext.100
Or, you can view and download the chapters here.

Ch. 1: Introduction (300KB)
Ch. 2: History (492KB)
Ch. 3: The Here and Now (1.8MB)
Ch. 4: Waste Reduction and Reuse (1.1MB)
Ch. 5: Recycling (936KB)
Ch. 6: Organics and Composting (1.7MB)
Ch. 7: Hazardous and Special Wastes (2.4MB)
Ch. 8: Disposal (807KB)
Ch. 9: Illegal Burning and Dumping (1.4MB)
Ch. 10: Biosolids (2.1MB)
Ch. 11: Advertising, Public Information and Participation, and School Education (1.5MB)
Ch. 12: Ordinances and Enforcement (619KB)
Ch. 13: Finances (1.3MB)
Ch. 14: Facilities (2.7MB)
Ch. 15: Data (2.2MB)
Appendix (3.1MB)
Glossary (106KB)