Actively promote source reduction, recycling and composting to the Dallas community.
The Dallas community, including residents and businesses generate approximately 2.8 million tons of Municipal Solid Waste annually. [1]To achieve the goals of the City’s Zero Waste Plan and reduce the GHG associated with landfilling waste, the City will increase current education efforts to inform residents and business owners of their options to refuse, reduce, reuse and recycle. The public information program should prioritize waste reduction in the commercial sector and identifying opportunities to reduce single use products.
[1] City of Dallas, February 2013. Local Solid Waste Management Plan.
start a required composting program ASAP
Yes! I support this!
San Francisco has policies in place for this called, Mandatory Recycling & Composting Ordinance
The public education campaign should emphasize that many plastics that are put in recycling are never actually recycled and we should focus on refusing or switching to glass, metal, etc. because these materials are much more likely to be reused/recycled.
Is there a way to incentize restaurants to switch from plastic take out packaging to compostable packaging? That would be better but these items will still end up in landfills because most people don't compost at home or in their offices. It is very difficult to find composting services in Dallas and those that exist are expensive.
There is a company in Dallas that already supplies paper goods.
Exactly. The city needs to take responsibilities to educate the public that many plastics that are put in recycling are never actually recycled and we should focus on reducing plastics and many other materials. City should start financial incentives for waste reduce and composting. And making composting and recycling mandatory is the way to go.
NTCOG is pushing their Waste Management Campaign..so how is City of Dallas sharing this information? Recycling options (which should be th Last Option- Rethinking and ReFusing is first) is not everywhere....where is a recycle can in downtown Dallas as I walk down Elm, Main, or Griffin Street? Yes a TRUE Net Zero Waste plan is overdue. Compost should be educated- easily accessible and HOAs should encourage Not band!
Yes! Composting is essential to reducing waste.
Educating the public simply isn’t enough! We must instate better waste management to divert organic waste from our landfills. Support local composting!
The City must conduct audits or reviews to ensure large Multifamily residential complexes actually enforce and follow the new Multifamily Recycling Ordinance. My apartment complex in Deep Ellum has a Valet trash service and the apartment management does nothing for residents to distinguish between what is recyclable and what is heading to the landfill. After reading the ordinance, my apartment complex is clearly not conforming with all aspects of it, but who is holding these large apartment developers accountable for not actually enforcing these recycling standards?
http://citysecretary2.dallascityhall.com/resolutions/2018/06-13-18/18-0847.pdf
II live in The Village complex at Lovers Lane and 75. They do not adhere to this standard either! I would love to devise a plan to not only push enforcement this ordinance, but take more drastic measures to divert waste. What would you recommend we do? Educating the public is an essential part of the plan, but we must also work with City Officials.
Dallas should focus on reducing waste generation from the commercial sector. The city had planned to pass a commercial recycling and food diversion ordinance this year and should follow through on that.
Yes. CECAP planning slowed down the implementation of the planned commercial composting and recycling ordinance. No more delay! This ordinance should be pursued immediately.
There should be a way to make it easier to recycle and compost in low income areas. More importantly, make sustainable options that are affordable and accessible to those communities.
The way that diversion is measured is the easiest way to include reuse and reduce. Measure garbage per capita. Do not measure the diversion rate by measuring all of the recycling that is already out of the landfill. To get to zero waste measure the waste. Dallas generates between 8-10 pounds per person per day of garbage. Arlington is closer to 4 pounds per person per day. (The big difference is that Arlington charges $60.00 per ton to throw garbage away.) We are losing revenue and an opportunity to divert waste into a resource. There is a great video on measuring garbage per capita. "SB1016 per capita disposal meausurement" (on youtube) Some states have done this since 2010, after they realized that measuring all the recyclables was less effective. It would be fun to compete on who has the lowest garbage per capita. The national average is about 4.5 pounds per person per day. We got this. Corporations can compete with each other within their industry for the lowest number of pounds of garbage per employee. We can promote the best practices within the industry. Work with BOMA and IFMA to have them create their own campaigns within industries and buildings in Dallas. I believe folks want to reduce waste, competition is a great incentive. The Green Ordinance that was passed in 2017 is having an impact to. We already have many of the tools - I think the Office of Environmental Quality and Services is on the right track - focusing on education. You all are amazing.
I would like to see the plastic bag ban come back (and it actually be a ban and not just a fee on bags). I understand the state has limited municipalities from controlling this, but we can still change state government hopefully through this year's elections. I would also like to see a styrofoam ban for eating establishments.