Mayor Walsh requests proposals for Zero Waste Plan

The City of Boston wants to create a plan that will reduce waste, spur job growth, and achieve cost-savings.

Mayor Martin J. Walsh released today a Request for Proposals to produce a consultant to develop recommendations for a zero waste plan for the City of Boston. The plan will recommend goals and timelines for waste reduction and disposal cost-savings for the commercial, industrial and institutional, and residential sectors. The process will be steered by a Zero Waste Advisory Committee, jointly led by the City's Chief of Streets Chief Osgood and the Chief of Environment, Energy and Open Space Austin Blackmon.

"Reducing waste is good for our environment and the health of our residents," said Mayor Walsh. "The City of Boston looks forward to putting forth a comprehensive plan that addresses waste, reduces costs, and creates more accessible, local jobs. I thank our community partners and advocates for joining us in our mission to tackle waste and improve quality of life for all Bostonians."

On Friday, members of the Mayor's Cabinet met with members of the Zero Waste Boston coalition to discuss what zero waste means for the City of Boston and how the city can work towards that goal. During the meeting, the City formally accepted a set of principles, developed in collaboration with the community at last year's Zero Waste Summit, to guide the planning process.

"We're so proud that Boston is taking this major step forward to convene our communities, workers, green entrepreneurs and all stakeholders to create a world class Zero Waste program for our city," said Alex Papali, a representative from Zero Waste Boston. "It's a great example of people working together to build the equitable and sustainable future they want to see."

The preliminary zero waste planning process started in late 2015 with support of the Zero Waste Boston coalition, formally known as Boston Recycling Coalition. Zero Waste Boston, in partnership with the City, hosted a Zero Waste Summit in April 2016 with a broad range of stakeholders, including experts from three cities that already adopted zero waste plans - Austin, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.

Launching a zero-waste planning process is outlined the City's 2014 Updated Climate Action Plan, under the strategy "make progress toward a waste- and litter-free city" by "launching a zero-waste planning process". The City's progress to date is an important milestone in reducing citywide greenhouse gas emissions and becoming carbon neutral by 2050.