Palo Alto’s Waste Ordinances by Jake Kim

Author: Gladwyn d'Souza | Category: Environment | Date: 01-16-2021

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Written by Jake Kim

Did you know that as of 2018, â…” of landfills consisted of biodegradable organic matter? These unwelcome materials in our landfills emit hundreds of millions of tons of extremely potent greenhouse gasses, such as methane, as well as disease and cancer-inducing chemicals annually. With our current disposing habits, including habits regarding waste organization and quantity, it is hard to foresee the alleviation of these devastating consequences. The City Council of Palo Alto profoundly understood this fate when they issued three ordinances that would gradually reduce their output to local landfills and promote friendlier products to our environment. The Food Waste Ordinance, Deconstruction Ordinance, and Refuse Collection Ordinance added new restrictions on disposable foodwares and requirements on the deconstruction of construction materials and the organization of disposable materials that would add on to their Zero Waste Plan from 2018.

Food Waste Ordinance

The first ordinance, which calls for new restrictions on disposable foodwares and produce bags, focuses on reducing the distribution of single-use products. According to their study, plastic pollution reaches neighboring ecosystems and waterways, killing more than 1,000,000 seagulls and 100,000 marine animals annually and increasing management costs for local governments. In addition to its ecological and financial harm, its creation requires the removal of forests, exudes lots of methane, and consumes large amounts of energy. The Food Waste Ordinance will reduce these adverse effects of plastic pollution by prohibiting plastic straws, utensils, drink accessories, and toothpicks. With this ordinance, the City of Palo Alto has effectively advocated the use of biodegradable alternatives to their plastic counterparts.

Deconstruction Ordinance

The second ordinance, called the Deconstruction Ordinance, applies more to commercial organizations than it does to ordinary citizens but still contributes significantly to the diversion of materials from landfills. Under this ordinance, the City of Palo Alto mandates more sustainable deconstruction and demolition of construction material from local buildings and projects. It also calls for improved planning of future projects to take into account its likely deconstruction in the future. The goal of this ordinance is to raise the diversion of construction materials from landfills from 50% to 95%. It promotes the reduction and reuse of construction material, reducing greenhouse gas emissions as well as the other adverse effects produced by landfills. Another significant benefit of this ordinance is that it reduces the extraction of materials, protecting our environment and working towards the complete reuse of materials in the economy, also known as a circular economy.

Refuse Collection Ordinance

Lastly, the Refuse (organic and nonorganic disposable materials) Collection Ordinance demands the color-coordination of refuse bags according to its category for commercial facilities. To go into more detail, clear bags would collect garbage, blue-tinted bags would collect recyclable materials, and green-tinted bags would collect compostable materials. Additionally, it will impose new waste disposal requirements for citizens, such as folding cardboard boxes to consume less volume in garbage trucks and removing refuse containers from the public right-of-way within 24 hours of the hauling service. This ordinance will boost the efficiency and accuracy of waste organization and disposal and order the further organization of streets. Such enhancements in the city’s productivity are aimed to reduce unnecessary efforts that will add to the city’s greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental harms. On top of that, the ordinance will make sure that Palo Alto’s trash will go to the right place, meaning more recycling and composting and less aimlessly piling up local landfills.

The City of Palo Alto’s three ordinances regarding waste disposal teaches us two invaluable things. First, it reveals that environmental policy changes are achievable in our local governments. Using these ordinances as a model, we too can advocate to our city and county councils to strive for a healthier environment. Second, it teaches us that such ambitious environmental goals are well within the realm of our abilities. While it is great to have our local governments manage our everyday habits, we can still follow Palo Alto’s habits without living under its jurisdiction. By including both of these lessons in our lives and goals, we can successfully divert our waste from landfills and consume sustainable alternatives to plastic products.

Sources:

Windwall, Courtney. “Single-Use Plastics 101.” NDRC, 9 Jan. 2020, https://www.nrdc.org/stories/single-use-plastics-101. Accessed 4 Nov. 2020.

Pierson, Rachel, and John-Michael Cross. “Fact Sheet - Landfill Methane.” Environmental and Energy Study Institute, 26 Apr. 2013, https://www.eesi.org/papers/view/fact-sheet-landfill-methane. Accessed 4 Nov. 2020.

Newton, John. “The Effects of Landfills on the Environment.” Sciencing, 19 Apr. 2019, https://sciencing.com/effects-landfills-environment-8662463.html. Accessed 4 Nov. 2020.

City of Palo Alto. “Disposable Foodware Ordinance.” City of Palo Alto, 6 Nov. 2020, https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/gov/depts/pwd/zerowaste/projects/foodware.asp. Accessed 4 Nov. 2020.

City of Palo Alto. “Attachment I: Foodware Reduction- Sign on Letter to Palo Alto City Council (1) (3).” City of Palo Alto, 10 Jun. 2019, https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/civicax/filebank/blobdload.aspx?t=53734.77&BlobID=71714. Accessed 4 Nov. 2020.

City of Palo Alto. “Attachment E - Deconstruction Ordinance (Chapter 5.24).” City of Palo Alto, 24 Jun. 2019, https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/civicax/filebank/documents/72092. Accessed 4 Nov. 2020.

City of Palo Alto. “Attachment A: Food Waste Ordinance.” City of Palo Alto, 24 Jun. 2019, https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/civicax/filebank/documents/72093. Accessed 4 Nov. 2020.

City of Palo Alto. “Attachment A - 5.20 Refuse Collection Ordinance.” City of Palo Alto, 24 Jun. 2019, https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/civicax/filebank/documents/72064. Accessed 4 Nov. 2020.

 

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