Recycle on the Go Success Sto
San Francisco Uses Ordinance to
Promote Recycling in Public Places
San Francisco hosts thousands of sporting events, street fairs, festivals, and concerts annually. Although these
events bring communities together, thev also generate large amounts of waste. To cut down on this volume of
waste, the city passed an ordinance that requires recycling at special events. In addition, San Francisco banned
the use of polystyrene food service ware by vendors. As a result, San Francisco's innovative public space recycling
program helped the city achieve a 70 percent waste diversion rate in 2006, surpassing the state-mandated
recycling law.
Recvci
.
38?
1
o
-
PRO
This recycling station
set up at Carnaval San
Francisco features a
"Recycle Here" banner
5osted above the
ecycling bin and nearby
trash container.
State of California
Program Overview
Waste generated at public venues and special events like fairs and festivals can build up
in a short time. To curb the volume of waste, the California legislature passed Assembly
Bill (AB) 2176 (Montanez, Chapter 879) in 2004, which requires large public venues and
special events to develop and implement solid waste management plans and strategies to
increase recycling and reduce waste. The law also promotes planning for recycling during
design and operation of those venues and events.
In addition, all California cities and counties must comply with the Integrated Waste
Management Act of 1989, which mandates that each jurisdiction reduce waste disposal
by at least 50 percent. As part of their annual reports on waste diversion to the state,
cities and counties report their waste reduction progress at the top 10 percent (by waste
generation) of large venues and special events.
U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY Recycle on the Co
-------
Polystyrene Ban
Starting in June 2007,
San Francisco prohibited
food vendors from using
polystyrene food service
ware. Recyclable alternative
products include the
following:
Aluminum foil and trays
Plastic containers and lids
(#1, #2, #4, #5, and #7)
The city may assess fines of
$100-$500 for violations
of the law. As a result of
the ban, coordinators often
choose recyclable paper
and #1 and #2 plastic
products in lieu of harder-
to-recycle materials. Due
to the potential for high
contamination rates, the
San Francisco Department
of the Environment
is currently making
composting voluntary at
special events.
Program Outreach
To help cities, counties, venues, and event operators comply with AB 2176, the California
Integrated Waste Management Board created a Web site that helps users develop
waste reduction and recycling programs. Tools include sample ordinances and policies,
cost calculators, case studies, and links to government and industry resources such as
recycled-content product suppliers and material recyclers.
City and County of San Francisco
Program Overview
San Francisco requires recycling at all special events. Event coordinators are required to
recycle the following items:
Event producers are ready to go green
at their events. In fact, I've heard that
there's an informal competition among
event producers to see who can have the
greenest event.
Alexa Kielty
Residential Recycling and Special Projects Assistant
San Francisco Department of the Environment
Glass bottles and jars
Aluminum and tin cans
Plastic containers (#1 and #7)
Plastic tubs and lids (#2, #4, and #5)
Rigid plastics, such as clamshell and
plant containers
Newspaper
Corrugated cardboard
Office paper
Other paper items, including egg cartons
As the first large city in the nation to collect food scraps citywide, San Francisco offers
event coordinators the opportunity to compost food scraps, including shellfish, meat, bones,
banana peels, and coffee grounds; food-soiled paper such as paper napkins, paper milk
cartons, and pizza boxes; and plants such as floral and tree trimmings. The food scraps are
made into nitrogen-rich compost for use by vineyards in California's wine country.
These cardboard bins were on hand at the
EcoCity World Summit to encourage recycling
and composting. The containers are clearly
labeled with what materials each collects.
Clearly labeling debris boxes and dumpsters is
important to show event staff where to dispose
of materials, helping reduce contamination.
U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY Recycle on the Go
-------
To ensure that recycling happens at special events, San
Francisco's Special Events Ordinance No. 73-89 requires
event organizers to submit recycling plans with their permit
applications. This applies to street fairs, athletic events, or
any other event requiring temporary use or occupancy of a
public street where beverage containers will be dispensed
or a large amount of other recyclable materials will be
generated. The event permit application contains recycling
guidelines developed by San Francisco's Department of the
Environment (SF Environment).
Among other things, event coordinators are required
to do the following:
Achieve or exceed a 20 percent recycling rate.
Submit proof of trash and recycling service to the
Department of Parking and Traffic (DPT) 30 days prior to the event.
Attend a recycling training workshop and submit the certificate to DPT 30 days
prior to the event (or contract with a city-registered provider of recycling services for
special events).
Provide event vendors information on recycling practices and related products and
encourage them to use recyclable products.
Mark all trash and recycling bins clearly, place blue recycling bins next to each trash
bin, and frequently check them during the event to make sure trash isn't mixed in with
the recyclables, also known as contamination.
Oversee and ensure consolidation of recyclables into debris boxes.
Event coordinators must require vendors to follow the food service ware ordinance
requiring them to use recyclable or compostable food service ware.
Recycling Plan. To receive
a permit to hold a special
event, coordinators must
submit a recycling plan
that is approved by DPT
for events on city property
and by the Recreation &
Park Department (RPD)
for events on park lands.
The plan must include
arrangements for collection
and disposal of separated
recyclables and compostables
by a service provider or the
event organizer.
Staff members from the San Francisco Clean
City Coalition are lining bins to prepare festival
recycling stations.
Recycle on the Go U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
Photo: Alexa Kielty, SF Environment
-------
SF Environment monitors recycling rates at events
by contacting the city's hauler for figures on the
amount of waste generated and recycled at each
event. Event coordinators who fail to meet the 20
percent recycling goal receive a call from an SF
Environment staff person, who explains how to
develop a better recycling plan so that subsequent
events achieve better recycling rates. This follow-
up is critical because without it, "recycling rates
would be significantly lower," says Alexa Kielty,
SF Environment's residential recycling and special
projects assistant.
Enforcement. The ordinance does not authorize fines.
Rather, DPT can refuse to issue a permit if an event
coordinator fails to submit a recycling plan or if the
plan is inadequate. RPD helps ensure compliance by
requiring a $100 deposit from event planners that the
department keeps if the event fails to comply with the
recycling requirements.
Recycling Containers. Event coordinators can purchase
cardboard containers for recycling or 64-gallon rolling
carts from the city's hauler.
Costs and Benefits. Recyclable and compostable materials are collected at a
discounted rate compared to garbage. "The more recycling and composting, the
lower the garbage bill," Kielty says.
Education and Outreach
SF Environment aims to get 100 of its highest profile and largest events to recycle at least 20
percent of the waste they generate. The department reaches event coordinators through
two ways:
Including the city's recycling requirements for special events in the permit package.
Offering 2-hour recycling workshops on a quarterly basis that event coordinators
must attend unless they plan to use one of the city's registered recycling providers.
The workshops provide event coordinators an opportunity to learn about the city's
recycling requirements, hear tips from experienced event recyclers, and ask recycling
service providers questions about recycling collection. To help ensure that coordinators
have a successful recycling program, the city gives workshop participants a checklist of
things they need to do before, during, and after an event.
Challenges and Solutions
Challenge: One challenge is securing buy-in from partner agencies to include the
requirements of the special events ordinance in event permit packages.
Solution: SF Environment staff made it as easy as possible for partner agencies to
adopt the requirements by drafting the permit language. RPD now includes
Recycle on the Go U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
-------
recycling requirements in its event
permit application.
Challenge: Keeping track of waste generation and
recycling rates can be difficult because
there are hundreds of events in the city
each year with up to 500,000 people.
Solution: At the start of the event season, SF
Environment sends the waste hauler
a list of events for which it would like
the hauler to track recycling diversion
numbers. Providing the upfront notice
and clarifying the city's need for
collecting these data motivated the
hauler to develop a better internal
tracking system. As a result, reporting
waste generation and recycling rates has
improved dramatically.
'
During San Francisco's Fillmore
Jazz Festival, vendors deposited food
in collection boxes for composting.
Challenge: Collecting organic material at events is tricky. Food scraps collection
containers need to be monitored closely to prevent contamination. Also,
event coordinators need to secure vendor compliance in purchasing only
compostable products and properly using the recycling and composting
containers.
Solution: Currently, event coordinators and vendors compost on a voluntary basis.
Although the challenge of collecting compost is not completely solved,
this gradual approach gives SF Environment time to develop strategies to
minimize contamination of compost loads at special events.
Tools at a Glance
California's Venues and Events Web site, created for venue
facility operators, event managers, vendors, promoters, and
concessionaires, provides tools such as sample ordinances and
policies, cost calculators, case studies, and links to government
and industry resources such as recycled-content product suppliers.
SF Environment's Recycling Checklist for Special Events outlines
special event recycling requirements and gives planners a list of
things they need to do before, during, and after events to ensure
that waste reduction and recycling efforts are successful.
Recycle on the Go U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
-------
The Bottom Line
San Francisco has an
ordinance requiring
recycling at special
events. However, the
key to making it work
is incorporating the
recycling requirements
into the permitting
process. Because it can
take a long time to pass an
ordinance, Alexa Kielty
advises other cities and
counties to approach the
city's permitting agencies
first and work with them
to integrate recycling
requirements into their
event permits.
If recycling is required
at special events, it's
important to educate
event planners. SF
Environment finds that
workshops are an effective
way to do this.
Regulations at a Glance
California's Public Resources Code 42648, AB 2176. describes the ordinance
for recycling at special events.
Integrated Waste Management Act: AB 939.
San Francisco Special Events Ordinance No. 73*89 requires planners to
submit recycling plans with their permit applications. This applies to street fairs,
athletic events, or any other event requiring temporary use or occupancy of a
public street where beverage containers will be dispensed or a large amount of
other recyclables will be generated.
Food Service Ware Ordinance bans use of polystyrene food service ware.
Food Service Waste Reduction Ordinance provides a link to approved
food service ware products and suppliers.
Special Event Permit Guidelines are provided to event planners when they
apply for permits from DPT and RPD. They require proof that event planners
have scheduled adequate garbage and recycling services and taken SF
Environment's recycling training workshop or contracted with a registered
recycling provider for their events.
More Information
For more information, visit EPA's Recycle on the Go Web site at
www.epa.gov/recvcleonthego or contact:
Alexa Kielty, San Francisco Department of the Environment,
at (415) 355-3747 or Alexa.Kieltv(a)sfgov.org
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
EPA530-F-08-010
June 2008
www.epa.gov/recycleonthego
'Cycled/Recyclable Printed with Vegetable Oil Based Inks on 100% Postconsumer,
Process Chlorine Free Recycled Paper
Disclaimer: The mention of any company, product, or process in this publication does
not constitute or imply endorsement by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Recycte
t& r*S
on the t?C>
EPA is partnering with
federal agencies, states,
municipalities, and
organizations to promote
recycling in public places.
www.epa.gov/recycleonthego
------- |