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