San José Achieves 64% Recycling Rate,
Leads State's Biggest Cities
Strong Community Cooperation Diverts Waste From Landfills
San José, California --- San José
residents and businesses have been doing a lot better at recycling than
previously thought, based on revised calculations certified today (4/23/03)
by the California Integrated Waste Management Board.
The state agency now credits San Jose for diverting 64% of its waste from
local landfills in 2000, surpassing the recycling rate of Los Angeles
(60%), San Francisco 46%), and California’s other large cities.
(Note: San Francisco earlier announced it had achieved 52%, but
since has asked for a time extension to December 31, 2003, from the State
Board.)
“Our residents and businesses clearly have embraced recycling as
a way of life in San José,” said Mayor Ron Gonzales. “We
have made it easy for people to do the right thing with our innovative
services, and I am proud that our community has become California’s
environmental leader as a result. I’m also confident that San José
residents will continue to raise the bar for the state.”
The state certified the new results following a visit to businesses in
San José in December 2002 and a full review of the city’s
extensive documentation of program results submitted by the City almost
two years ago. The certification raised the official diversion rate from
the 53% previously announced in November 2001 and credits San José
for all its recycling efforts.
“Although we can’t exactly compare the diversion rates achieved
by California cities to other parts of the nation since different factors
or formulas may be used,” said Carl Mosher, San José director
of environmental services, “we do track those numbers as a benchmark
of our own progress. The latest rates we’ve seen are Seattle, 40%;
Portland, 57%; Chicago, 24%; New York City, 20%, and Phoenix, 18%.”
San José’s new rate far surpasses the state’s mandate
that all California cities and counties achieve a 50% diversion rate for
recycling. San José provided the model for development of the State
goal in 1989, having already set out an ambitious waste diversion policy
in 1985.
“San José introduced several effective programs over the
past 10 to 15 years to increase residential waste diversion,” said
Mosher. These included the original curbside program in 1987; collection
and recycling of yard trimmings in 1991; financial incentives through
rates and the addition of curbside collection for many new categories
of recyclables in 1993; a stronger emphasis on recycling services at apartments
and condominiums in the mid-90s; and last summer’s new curbside
collection system that eliminated the need for presorting of household
recyclables into separate containers.
Mosher said the City also had worked extensively to promote recycling
in the commercial sector, which generates about 75% of San José’s
wastes. Since 1990 these efforts have focused on large employers, multi-tenant
office buildings and the recycling of construction and demolitin debris.
CHARTS ATTACHED: Large California cities; Santa Clara County cities
2000 Diversion Rates
- California |
| |
|
San José |
64% |
Los Angeles |
60% |
Santa Ana |
56% |
Long Beach |
55% |
Oakland |
52% |
Anaheim |
50% |
San Diego |
48% |
San Francisco |
46% |
Sacramento |
46% |
2000 Diversion Rates -
Santa Clara County |
| |
|
Monte Sereno |
70% |
San José |
64% |
Los Altos |
64% |
Los Altos Hills |
62% |
Palo Alto |
59% |
Cupertino |
58% |
Milpitas |
56% |
Saratoga |
56% |
| Sunnyvale |
56% |
| Morgan Hill |
53% |
| Los Gatos |
52% |
| Mountain View |
52% |
| Santa Clara |
50% |
| Gilroy |
49% |
| Campbell |
46% |
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|
