Zero Waste Essay Competition

PURPOSE

The purpose of this project is to consider how we can build a more sustainable society.

This year’s focus is on actions we can take - both collectively and as individuals - to become a Zero Waste Society.

BACKGROUND

Have you ever noticed the absence of recycling bins around GCC campus?

Many are dismayed by this apparent lack of environmental awareness.

By law, all state institutions are required to recycle 50% of their solid waste. The legally mandated proportion is targeted to rise to 75% by the year 2020, eventually leading to a zero waste society in which all waste is recycled, composted, or otherwise diverted from landfill disposal.

GCC currently contracts with a local waste hauler who delivers our trash to a Materials Recovery Facilty (MRF) where it is sorted. The recyclable portion of the waste is sold on the commodities market where it is destined to be turned back into consumer products. The portion that cannot be recycled is buried in a landfill.

The City of Glendale is home to an active landfill - the Scholl Canyon Landfill. This facility is nearing capacity and may be closed, though plans for expansion are being considered.

For these reasons, the City of Glendale strives to become a Zero Waste City that will divert 90% of its solid waste away from landfills by the year 2030.

A waste audit conducted in 2015 showed that the City successfully diverted only 57% of its solid waste.

To achieve the target goal, we all have work to do!