Thank You California! 50 Percent Waste Reduction Achieved

Dear California,

In 1989, the Legislature approved and created the Integrated Waste Management Act, which called for California to reduce its waste and divert 25 percent of recyclable materials by 1995 and 50 percent by the year 2000.

In 1989, California was diverting only 10 percent of its waste and many argued that these goals were too ambitious and not achievable. To help California achieve these goals, the Act created the Integrated Waste Management Board. The Board’s primary duties were to oversee waste management issues in California and work with local jurisdictions to achieve the 50 percent mandate by implementing programs and regulations.

I am extremely pleased to announce that California has met this goal and we have achieved 52 percent diversion of our waste. What once was viewed as ambitious is now a historic achievement, setting the standards for others to follow.

This means we Californians have essentially cut our trash in half, achieving 52 percent reduction. We are throwing away less and reusing and recycling more than ever. We are now finding new and innovative ways to use unwanted materials that have typically gone to landfills or were used as fuel base. We have found new and better uses for waste tires, construction and demolition materials, used oil, carpet, plastics, and landscaping residuals, just to name a few.

What are we doing with these items now? They are being put in our roads by grinding up old tires for “quiet roads” or into new “green” construction. Some of these materials are covering our parks, providing shade. Tires have become playground surfaces for “safety underfoot,” and used oil is being recycled and re-refined into clean oil for our cars. All of these things keep our landfills safe and our state clean.

So thank you California, for cutting your trash in half and doing your part to make California a better, cleaner, and safer place to live, work, and play.

Margo Reid Brown
Chair