The document summarizes Boston's goals and history of waste management efforts aiming for zero waste. It outlines the city's waste reduction targets, timeline and approach for developing a zero waste plan through stakeholder engagement and assessing opportunities to decrease waste generation across sectors. The plan will identify programs and policies to promote recycling, composting and waste reduction to support the city's environmental and economic goals.

1. Boston Zero Waste
Planning

2. City Goals
1. Promoting a healthy environment and preparing for
climate change, through reducing Boston’s contribution to
climate change.
2. Driving inclusive economic growth, through
creating new and higher paying jobs

3. 71:1

4. Boston Waste Management History
1980s
Residents
organize recycling
drop-offs
throughout city
1990s
City launches curbside
recycling collection (dual-
stream)
2000s
City introduces single-stream
recycling
2010s
City expands curbside leaf and
yard waste collection, and
launches food waste drop-offs

5. 2014
Zero waste planning
process included in
City’s Climate Action
Plan
2016
Zero Waste Municipal
Leaders Summit
2018
Zero Waste Plan begun
2017
Mayor forms Zero Waste
Advisory Committee
Boston Waste Management History Continued

6. ● Make Zero Waste a Key Priority
- Define the Goal
- Develop a Strategy
- Expand Resources
- Work Collaboratively
● Focus First on Wasting Less, Diverting More
- Lead by Example
- Facilitate Residential Waste Reduction
- Engage Large Generators of Waste
● Support This Work Through Local Business
● Sustain This Work Through Culture Change
Boston Zero Waste Guiding Principles

7. ZERO WASTE
Reduce RecycleReuse
Focus first on reducing and reusing,
then recycle, compost, digest and redesign the rest

8. Zero Waste Associates
Boston’s Zero Waste Team
Center for EcoTechnology
Perlmutter Associates

9. Timeline
January - March
Stakeholder outreach
Research best practices
April - May
Develop program ideas
March-June
Community input
Public meetings
June - August
Draft Zero Waste Plan

10. Zero Waste Advisory Committees (ZWAC)
ZWAC
Recommendations to Mayor
Residential
Subcommittee
Institutional,
Commercial and
Industrial
Subcommittee

11. Approach
Task Objective
1. Facilitate and
Organize Meetings
Obtain stakeholder input from City’s advisors and
the public
2. Gather and
Analyze Data
Identify opportunities for expansion or
improvement
3. Waste Reduction
and Diversion
Opportunity
Assessment
Identify opportunities for decreasing volume of
discards from all sectors

12. Approach
Task Objective
4. Cost-Benefit Analysis Analyze Plan milestones and identify funding options
5. Zero Waste Plan Develop a cutting edge, implementable Zero Waste Plan
6. Market Development Study
Understand and strengthen demand side of Zero Waste
loop in Boston
7. Public education
Case Studies
Document how leading cities successfully raised
awareness

13. THANK YOU!
Austin Blackmon
Chief of Environment, Energy, and Open Space
Environmentalenergy@boston.gov