San Francisco’s journey to becoming a zero-waste city showcases effective waste management strategies and community engagement in environmental sustainability.

According to the EPA, the national recycling rate in the U.S. is only about 34%. That means most of our solid waste—including recyclable items like paper, glass, metal, and plastic—goes to landfills and incinerators. Massive amounts of food waste that can be composted are clogging landfills, creating dangerous greenhouse gases.

Many cities are starting to tackle this problem by implementing policies to help curb the waste by recycling and composting more. It’s known as the “zero waste” movement, and San Francisco is at the forefront. Other cities with zero waste goals include Portland, Seattle, Minneapolis, Austin, and Oakland. But San Francisco has been the most aggressive. In 2009, the board of supervisors passed an ordinance requiring all residents and businesses to recycle and compost their waste, making it the first American city to make composting mandatory.

Its goal is to achieve zero waste by 2020, and it has diverted 80% of its waste from landfills so far. Now the city is getting attention from all around the world. Government officials from China, Italy, France, Denmark, India, and many other countries have visited San Francisco’s state-of-the-art recycling and composting facilities to learn how to replicate its success. For more on San Francisco’s Zero Waste plan: http://sfenvironment.org/zero-waste