The City of Santa Rosa partnered with R3 Consulting Group, Inc. to develop a unique Zero Waste Plan that is quantifiable, reasonable and impactful locally. Zero Waste is defined as a process and philosophy that involves a redesign of products and a redesign of consumption, so that all material goods can be reused or recycled – or not needed at all. Currently, over 25 jurisdictions in California have Zero Waste Plans. By commissioning this work, Santa Rosa has joined a short list of innovators working to proactively address the global challenge of how to sustainably manage the waste generated as a by-product of our individual and collective consumption.

The Zero Waste Master Plan was developed with significant public input and engagement, including an online survey (from which we received hundreds of comments), several public workshops in English and Spanish, multiple stakeholder meetings, and two focus groups. Community engagement efforts sought community input about their ideas, questions, comments and concerns about Zero Waste as a concept and the practical means of reducing waste in Santa Rosa. As strategies were developed by the project team they were shared with the community, sought their input, and described why the proposed strategies were recommended for Santa Rosa.

The five recommended strategies include those that seek to stem the flow of waste at its source, establish increased requirements regarding community participation in recycling programs, maximize and enhance the diversion services, increase the amount of recovery from construction activities, and establish the City as a community leader in implementation of programs to change wasteful behaviors.

We are all in this together and therefore the City of Santa Rosa gathered significant community input and feedback. The draft Zero Waste Plan was placed online for a 30-day public comment period in April 2019. All comments were summarized and revisions to the Plan were made as appropriate. The draft Plan was presented to the City Council Climate Action Subcommittee on July 10, 2019 and September 3, 2019. The Climate Action Subcommittee supported the Plan’s strategies and recommended the draft Zero Waste Master Plan be brought forward to the full City Council for consideration. 

On January 28, 2020, Santa Rosa City Council approved the Zero Waste Master Plan. This allows the City  full discretion as to the specifics of Plan implementation, including associated timing and funding considerations. We appreciate Santa Rosa residents’ interest and dedication to waste reduction and sustainability.

On August 3, 2021, Santa Rosa Rosa City Council approved the Zero Waste Food Ware Ordinance that is effective January 1, 2022.  Read the August 4, 2021 Zero Waste Food Ware Ordinance news release. 

Final Draft Zero Waste Master Plan
Appendix A - Landfilled Waste Modeling
Appendix B - Summary of Stakeholder Engagement
Appendix C - Summary of Focus Groups
Appendix D - Summary of Existing Policies, Programs and Facilities
Appendix E - Service Opportunities Assessment and Targeted Waste Generation Sectors
Appendix F - Additional Potential Diversion Analysis
Appendix G - Cost Analysis and Timeline
Appendix H - Community Survey
Appendix I - Outreach Flyers
Appendix J - Reuse Directory
Appendix K - Food Recovery Directory
Appendix L - Workshop Presentations and Outreach Materials in Spanish
Appendix M - Public Comments
Appendix N - Climate Action Subcommittee Updated Implementation Timeline
Appendix O - City of Alameda Disposable Food Service Ware Reduction Law (Model Ordinance)
Appendix P - City of Los Altos Solid Waste Collection, Removal, Disposal, Processing, and Recycling (Model Ordinance)
Appendix Q - City of Brentwood Construction and Demolition Debris (Model Ordinance)
Appendix R - City of Menlo Park Commercial Technical Assistance Profile (Model created by Cascadia Consulting)
Appendix S - City of Palo Alto Special Event Permit Application Instruction (Model Application)
Appendix T - Zero Waste Infographic