[greenyes] Zero Waste Trip Report

[RicAnthony@no.address]

Recycle Scene
Spring 2004
Richard Anthony
 
Zero Waste Trip Report

This year instead of looking for zero waste, we looked for opportunities to 
promote a zero waste systems approach.  The use of “residuals” or “other” 
categories in analyzing discards create the justification for an integrated waste 
management approach which includes incinerators and landfills.  
 
Because the National Recycling Congress will be held in San Francisco August 
29, 2004; The California Resource Recovery Association (CRRA) held our 
conference in March in Sacramento.  My topics this year were, “How to do a better job 
in making recycling convenient and available in commercial and multifamily 
areas, and why we need Training and Methodology for proper  Resource Management.
 
At the same time we received initiations to speak in Gouda, Paris, London and 
Waterville New Hampshire.  In each case the request was for a discussion on 
the ideology and methodology of a zero waste systems approach to discard 
management. Thus with presentations grown in California we flew to Europe and 
Northeast USA to meet with recyclers.
 
After rain for nearly a month, on the Sunday in May when we arrived in the 
Netherlands, the rain stopped. We had clear and sunny weather for the next two 
weeks.  This is good because Debbie and I met Anne Sheinberg in Den Haag where 
we rented bikes to tour the city and ride to the North Sea for dinner with 
Hans.  Anne works for WASTE in Gouda and the next day I presented my papers to 
their principals and staff.  
 
At noon, from Gouda I caught a train to Paris where on the train I find that 
my friend and partner in many projects for the Institute for Local Self 
Reliance Neil Seldman, is sitting in my seat.  At the Hotel de la Paix Tour Eiffel, 
we see Gary Liss and Pat Miller and meet old and new friends from America, 
Wales, England, New Zealand, Canada, Australia, Philippines, Nova Scotia, and 
Colorado, all part of our group.  Didier Toque, President of Decentralisation and 
Initiatives Locales (DIL) from France is also there and we all go to dinner 
to discuss the coming event.  
 
The first day some are assigned to media conferences, some go to meet members 
of parliament, and my group is assigned the government staff.  This is where 
integrated waste management plans are written and defended.  In Paris half of 
the power is gotten from Nuclear and the other half by burning garbage.  This 
comes at a huge cost, as this system charges for service and even though some 
energy is produced, jobs and resources are lost.  Waste reduction threatens 
the put or pay long term agreements the local governments have with the 
incinerators and the landfills.
 
The whole team met in the Paris City Hall (with painted murals on the 
ceilings, and mirrors and chandeliers) with the Paris Waste Management Division 
including the Syndicate (French for the landfill and incinerator operators).  After 
a lot of discussion through interpreters about how hard it would be to 
recycle everything in Paris, the Syndicate representative asked what we zero wasters 
thought they could do with the 30% residual from their incinerators.
 
The conference entitled “Zero Waste: Unachievable or Realistic Target” was 
attended by 350 French local elected officials, their staff, members of the 
Syndicate and a few surprises.  Our team of zero waste programs spent the day 
discussing why their Country, City, Region, made the decision to go for zero 
waste as a goal and with what results.  In some cases “residuals” were high.  
Several Mayors of French towns offered that with 50% recycling and 50% burning 
their cities were at zero waste.
 
My talk on jobs and sustainability was up first the next morning.  I used the 
12 master categories that have been defined by Dan Knapp of Urban Ore in 
Berkeley Calif. where reusable and 11 categories of materials are defined by 
markets and processing compatibility.  I used pictures and charts that showed these 
materials, their value, percentage of the discard stream and the related jobs 
that were threatened by burn and bury disposal systems.  The first comment 
was by a representative of the Syndicate who announced that they recycled metal 
and glass at the incinerator but paper was not worth anything.  The second 
speaker was a surprise.  He represented a French paper mill and he admonished the 
speaker saying,”… Mr. Anthony is right I will pay for all the paper I can get
”.  
 
Saturday a group of us met with GAIA supporters in a building by a park in a 
suburb of Paris.  We could not resist taking a picture on the way there (zero 
waste experts in Paris) in front of the Eiffel tower.  On Sunday we visited 
Monet’s House and garden.
 
The next day we are off to London for the Community Recycling Network (CRN) 
Conference. “Catch the Recycling Bug”.  The CRN is the NRC of England.  The 
conference reception was on a boat with dinner and a band floating down the 
Thames River under the London Bridge at sunset.  In England the government is 
funding nonprofits to do reuse, repair and recycling.  After the 12 categories 
talk at the zero waste panel, the Mayor of Doncaster, Martin Winter who’s City 
has adopted a zero waste goal and plan, went on to say a lot more about why it 
is a good thing for his city to go for zero waste.  The final day included a 
visit to Westminster Abbey, lunch in a Pub, a matinee live show (Chicago) and 
Greek food for dinner.
 
Its June now and I have just returned from Waterville New Hampshire for the 
Northeast Resource Recovery Association (NRRA) conference.  One of the first 
and oldest Recycling Associations, NRRA is also a market cooperative that helps 
the rural communities of the Northeast sell recyclable commodities.  This year 
the market spoke persons called for recycle material collectors to sell to 
local markets.  
 
In San Francisco on August 26 and 27 2004, The Global Recycling Council of 
CRRA in partnership with over 50 groups and people will host the first 
international dialog about the proper disposal of discards in the new millennium 
(http://www.crra.com/grc/international/index.html).  The last day for receiving 
papers will be June 30, 2004.  The event will begin the discussion and evaluation 
of integrated waste management and define the methodology of the zero waste 
approach.  This discussion and the Saturday GRRN Zero Waste Teach-in Oakland 
August 28 will make it worthwhile to come to San Francisco for the NRC Congress 
and tours.
Ricanthony@no.address
RichardAnthonyAssociates.com
San Diego, California