According to San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, the city has reached a recycling rate of 72 percent, nearing the city’s goal of reaching a 75 percent recycling rate. The recycling rate is the highest in the country, Newsom says.
A key reason for the increase in recycling rates in the city has been the growth in the amount of construction and demolition material that has been collected through the city’s Mandatory Construction and Demolition Debris Recovery Ordinance.
"By requiring builders to recycle debris from construction projects, we were able to divert tens of thousands of new tons of material away from the landfill," said Mayor Gavin Newsom. "Clearly, mandatory recycling measures pay off; if we’re going to reach a recycling rate of 75 percent in 2010 and zero waste by 2020, we need to make sure that residents and businesses are taking full advantage of our composting and recycling programs."
The figures compiled by the City’s Department of the Environment (SF Environment) show that San Francisco generated 2,100,943 tons of waste material in 2007. Of this, only 617,833 tons went to landfill, the lowest disposal rate since 1977.
The increased recovery of construction and demolition debris is a positive trend. However, SF Environment data shows that over two-thirds of the landfill-bound material was recyclable, with nearly 40 percent consisting of mixed compostables (mostly food scraps and soiled paper), 15 percent recyclable paper, and 15 percent other mixed recyclables.
"If we captured everything going to landfill that could have been recycled or composted, we’d have a 90 percent recycling rate" observed SF Environment Director Jared Blumenfeld. "The Board of Supervisors will soon be considering an ordinance that will require residents and businesses to sign up and use the recycling and composting programs, which we need to make our goals."