GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR THE CITIZENS PLAN FOR ZERO WASTE

This Citizens Plan for Zero Waste in New York City is intended to offer a positive alternative to New York City's waste management system, which results in huge quantities of materials and taxpayer dollars being wasted. This plan accepts that disposal will be occurring while positive alternatives are developed and implemented.  However, it aims to develop a system in which disposal is not necessary.  As a result, the plan does not address disposal, but instead focuses on the programs and policies that will lead to comprehensive waste prevention, reuse and recycling and eliminate the need for waste disposal. 

1. The Plan lays out detailed steps or specific actions to achieve a zero waste goal (or darn close to it) by 2024. The City should move as creatively, efficiently and quickly as possible toward a goal of zero waste, in order to reduce disposal costs and overall costs for solid waste management.
2. A comprehensive approach to diversion from the waste stream must address commercial, institutional and residential streams.
3. A zero waste system must minimize environmental impacts and ensure that the burdens and benefits of the zero waste system are equitably distributed.
4. Recommendations must be environmentally sustainable, practically implementable, economically viable, and socially responsible.
5. Zero waste systems should direct materials to their highest value and best end use.
6. A comprehensive plan must include local neighborhood-specific implementation programs as well as policy recommendations for all levels of government.
7. Zero waste systems should strive toward locating handling and processing capacity within the city to the greatest extent feasible.
8. A comprehensive plan must recognize that disposal facilities (landfills, incinerators, gasification facilities, etc) compete directly for financial and material resources with more promising solid waste options- waste prevention, reuse and recycling facilities - undermining a zero waste future.  A zero waste plan must therefore direct public and private investment to waste prevention and recycling infrastructure to recover materials and add value, instead of disposal facilities that destroy materials and eliminate their economic value.
9. Zero waste systems should strive to attain the greatest economic development benefit for the city (jobs, increased tax base, etc.).
10. Government resources- personnel, funding and time- must be committed to development and operation of waste reduction, recycling and composting programs and education as preferred solid waste options.
11. A zero waste system should seek to reduce the toxicity of products and packaging through effective government purchasing and extended producer responsibility.