10 Draft Integrated Waste Management Plan - City Council - City of ...

2012 Davis Integrated Waste Management Plan
It is often requested that the City’s diversion or per capita disposal rate be compared to other local agencies. The
charts and tables presented in Appendix K offer such a comparison. However, it must be noted that CalRecycle
itself strictly advises against such comparisons:
Advisory! The per capita disposal rate is a jurisdiction-specific index and cannot be compared between
jurisdictions. The per capita disposal rate is used as one of several "factors" in determining a
jurisdiction's compliance with the intent of AB 939, and allows the California Department of Resources
Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) and jurisdictions to set their primary focus on successful
implementation of diversion programs. Meeting the disposal rate targets is not necessarily an indication
of compliance.
http://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/LGCentral/reports/diversionprogram/JurisdictionDiversionPost2006.aspx
Unfortunately, this warning is rarely heeded and comparisons between other jurisdictions are frequently
performed regardless. If a comparison must be done, the best way to compare one jurisdiction to another is to
look at the waste generation. The tables and figures in Appendix K compare the residential and employee waste
generation per capita numbers of several jurisdictions.
The State of California took another step to increase diversion in 2011, when the governor signed AB 341,
increasing the current State goal from 50% diversion to 75% recycling by 2020. AB 341 created the Mandatory
Commercial Recycling law, which requires that all businesses that generate four or more cubic yards of waste
each week and all multi-family communities with five or more units must arrange for recycling service. Most
Davis customers that fall under the Mandatory Commercial Recycling Law are already required to recycle
under Chapter 32 of the Davis Municipal Code (see Appendix A). The few customers that do not are reviewed
yearly by DWR and City staff for compliance.
The City’s past, current and future projected diversion rates and per capita disposal rates are shown in Appendix
K.
7.1.2 Davis City Council Goals and Key Objectives 2012-2014
The Recycling Program is guided by several of the City Council 2012-2014 key objectives of Fiscal Stability,
Sustainability and Community Strength and Effectiveness. The Sustainability goal and guiding principles are
listed below.
DRAFT
Sustainability
Enact policies that strive to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations
to meet their own needs.
Guiding Principles:
Reduce the community’s carbon footprint and achieve measurable GHG emission reductions.
Focus on mobility systems that will reduce carbon emissions.
Increase water and energy efficiency of existing resources and explore alternatives.
Conserve resources in an environmentally responsible manner.
Promote reduction of resource consumption and waste generation, preserve agriculture, promote local
food production, reduce automobile and energy use, foster a healthy and vibrant economic climate based
on green technologies, and create a people-centric urban design environment.
Actively participate in regional planning activities in the areas of transit, air quality, water and
wastewater resources, land use and agricultural and open space conservation.
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