Resource Library

In 2000 and 2001, the Alameda County Waste Management Authority (ACWMA) gathered weight data on waste disposed from over 1,500 businesses comprising four commercial waste collection routes in Oakland and Hayward. In addition, the ACWMA commissioned a waste characterization study that included analysis of the composition of waste from 260 of the businesses for which weight information was collected. This report provides a summary of the study, reports on our statistical analysis of the data, and draws conclusions regarding the data’s usefulness and applicability for diversion program planning.

ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, has collaborated with StopWaste.Org to develop Sustainability Inventories for five jurisdictions in Alameda County. The Sustainability Inventory provides a jurisdiction with an initial (baseline) “picture” of each community’s environmental, social, and economic conditions and resources. The cities of Albany, Berkeley, Dublin, Oakland, and San Leandro have completed inventories. The Case Studies presented here provide some examples of actions municipalities around the country are taking to implement sustainability plans and policies.

StopWaste.Org has had great success through partnerships that promote waste reduction in ways that capture multiple benefits (e.g., greenhouse gas emissions reductions, energy savings, water conservation, green jobs, worker health and safety), because linking waste reduction with other benefits makes it much more marketable. The Workplan continues that approach, but in specific ways that we believe will allow us to achieve a greater scale of success without having to increase our core budget.

Results of a scientifically reliable survey of over 800 Alameda County residents measuring attitudes and knowledge of home composting.