Here you can get the latest tips and explore new ideas about zero waste.

Event: Toxic Away Day 2/17/24

Posted on February 12, 2024

Do you have household hazardous waste you need to dispose of? Join us at the upcoming Toxic Away Day event in Bolinas on Saturday, February 17th!

Where: Mesa Park, 100 Mesa Road, Bolinas

When: 9am – 1pm on Saturday, February 17th 

What: Safely and responsibly dispose of household hazardous waste such as paints, solvents, motor oil and antifreeze, bleach, batteries, lightbulbs, and e-waste. The disposal limit is 15 gallons of liquid waste or 125 pounds of dry waste.

How: There will be a 60 car maximum for this event and drop-offs can be made by appointment only. Please call 916-351-0980 extension 0 to make an appointment.

This event is sponsored by Zero Waste Marin, the Bolinas Public Utilities District, and the Bolinas Fire Protection District.

Getting to Zero Waste at Home

Posted on February 2, 2024
Green recycling symbol.

Achieving the least waste possible is an important goal at home and at work.

While recycling is important, there are additional elements to zero waste, including reuse and, most importantly, reducing the amount of stuff we buy in the first place.

Here are some resources on this website that can help:

Recycling Guide: Find out how to reuse, donate, recycle or safely dispose of just about anything.

Food Waste Prevention: When we make the most of our food, we ease the pressure on the food supply system, help the environment and save money!

What Is Zero Waste? How is Marin County working toward Zero Waste?

Going Zero Waste is an ongoing task for all Marin residents and businesses.
Thanks for your zero waste efforts.

Christmas Tree Recycling 2023-24

Posted on November 21, 2023
Green recycling symbol.

If you have a live tree and are looking to have it composted:

Click here for a list of 2023-24 curbside collection and drop-off options, or click the image below.

To prepare your tree for both curbside collection and drop-off:

• Remove all tree stands (metal, plastic, wood), ornaments, lights, tinsel, etc.

• Flocked trees will not be accepted.

• Apartment building tenants should contact their manager and request that they set up one day for holiday tree collection at the property.

click for christmas tree recycling info

 

Call for LTF Applicants Public Seats 2023

Posted on November 8, 2023

Are you looking for a volunteer opportunity with Zero Waste Marin? Consider joining the Local Task Force! This group acts as an advisory group to the Zero Waste Marin Board, and makes recommendations to help advance the mission of Zero Waste Marin across the County. This recruitment is for three public community seats, one each to represent the following areas: Southern Marin (Mill Valley, Sausalito, and Tiburon), Ross Valley, and Unincorporated Marin. Note that applicants should live in one of those three areas, and ideally would have experience in waste management or zero waste.

For more details refer to the Call for LTF Applicants Public Seats 2023 document. 

Mini-Grants for Businesses Available to Aid Food Recovery and Waste Reduction

Posted on August 3, 2023

Zero Waste Marin is administering a pilot mini-grant program that aims to provide support to businesses that need to comply with the edible food requirements included in SB 1383. If successful and if budget allows, this program could possibly expand in the future to help additional businesses.

Mini-Grant Amount: Up to $7,500.

Deadline: Mini grant applications will be reviewed as they are received, and funds will be available until the total mini grant allocation is spent down.

Requirements:

  • Must be an edible food generator covered under the edible food donation requirements in SB 1383
  • Must be located within Marin County

Rules for Expending Grant Funds:

Grant recipients will have the following options for spending grant funds:

  • Order from Fishman Supply: Grant recipients can send links of items available on the Fishman Supply website to Zero Waste Marin staff for ordering. Zero Waste Marin staff will order the items (up to the maximum grant amount) and have them shipped to the business address provided. Items must be related to edible food recovery: e.g., kitchen food scales, storage solutions, etc.
  • Food Waste Reduction Service: Grant recipients can opt to work with a service such as LeanPath or Copia that will help analyze the food waste generated at a business and provide suggestions for ways to reduce food waste. Zero Waste Marin will pay for the cost of this service, up to the maximum grant amount. Please note that eligible costs under this part of the mini grant would only be for a service that helps a business identify ways to reduce how much food is wasted through better ordering practices or food preparation etc. Costs associated with food pick-up and donation would not be eligible, as there are already free options for this service available in the County of Marin.
  • Reimbursement: If the grant recipient does not wish to pursue either of the options above, Zero Waste Marin will reimburse expenses directly related to edible food recovery such as a refrigerator, refrigerated van, etc. The grantee will be responsible for providing an invoice of the related expense to Zero Waste Marin staff, who will then verify the invoice and reimburse the business up to the maximum grant amount.

How to apply:

Fill out the online form available here. If you need the questions in Spanish, please email Casey Fritz at CFritz@MarinCounty.org.

Learn more about SB1383 for Businesses.

Questions and Responses to Edible Food Diversion Program RFP

Posted on May 4, 2023

 

Q 1: Does Zero Waste Marin have an existing list of food recovery organizations and services? If so, approximately how many FROs/FRSs are operating in the county?

A 1: We do have an existing list of FROs/FRSs, listed on our website. There are seven organizations/services on this list. The list is not exhaustive and might need to be updated with new organizations.

 

Q 2: How many Tier 1 and Tier 2 generators are on the initial lists?

A 2: A preliminary list compiled in 2022 for Tier 1 and Tier 2 had approximately 170 generators on the list. We are currently working on an updated list of generators for Tier 1 and Tier 2 for all jurisdictions in the County of Marin, so this number is subject to change.

 

Q 3: Do you have a vision for how the budget will be allocated across tasks?

A 3: We anticipate that the bulk of the work will be related to the Edible Food Recovery Capacity Report. However, we do not have a highly specific vision and are open to proposals.

 

Q 4: Do you anticipate much in-person outreach will be needed to verify food generator and recovery details?

A 4: We anticipate that there will be outreach required to verify details related to generators and recovery, but the majority of this work could likely be completed either in-person or remotely via phone or email. In person outreach may be beneficial for the larger organizations but that is up to contractor discretion.

 

Q 5: On page 20 of the RFP, “Schedule of Proposed Fees,” it states “please provide your cost estimate in one of the two ways provided.” Three tables are provided. Can Zero Waste Marin please clarify how you would like to receive the cost proposal. Is it to provide either a or b below? Or, both a and b below? Is the preference to use the tables provided in the RFP?

A 5: Zero Waste Marin would like to receive the cost per staff hours for each staff member allocated to the project, the anticipated cost per deliverable depending on that staff time, and the total project cost based on the totals of the previous two breakdowns. It is not mandatory to use the tables included in the RFP, as long as the cost breakdown is clear.

 

Q 6: Please clarify what the “offer form” is.

A 6: The reference to the “Offer Form” on page 25 was included in error. Applicants can disregard this form.

 

Q 7: Is there a page limit for the proposed scope of work?

A 7: No, there is no page limit.

 

Q 8: Does Zero Waste Marin plan to implement all the edible food recovery requirements of SB 1383, on behalf of the County and individual jurisdictions?

A 8: Zero Waste Marin is currently working with jurisdictions to determine which agencies will take on which responsibilities of the edible food recovery requirements. It is likely that ZWM will implement all the edible food recovery requirements on behalf of the entire county. This should be determined and voted upon in our June 2023 JPA Board meeting with all the member agencies.

 

Q 9: Please clarify what “mandated food donors” includes under Project Specifics Section 1.a. Does this group include additional generators beyond commercial edible food generators?

A 10: “Mandated food donors” refers only to the entities included in Tier 1 and Tier 2 that are required to donate surplus edible food.

 

Q 11: How many Tier 1 and Tier 2 Edible Food Generators has Zero Waste Marin currently identified? Is this list broken down by individual jurisdiction? If so, can Zero Waste Marin please provide a list of the number of identified Tier 1 and Tier 2 Generators within each member agency’s jurisdiction?

A 11: A preliminary list compiled in 2022 for Tier 1 and Tier 2 had approximately 170 generators on the list. We are currently working on an updated list of generators for Tier 1 and Tier 2 for all jurisdictions in the County of Marin, so this number is subject to change. The list is still being compiled but will be broken down by jurisdiction.

 

Q 12: Has Zero Waste Marin identified a preliminary list of Food Recovery Organizations and Food Recovery Services? If so, can Zero Waste Marin please provide a list of the number of identified Food Recovery Organizations and Food Recovery Services within each member agency’s jurisdiction?

A12: We do have an existing list of FROs/FRSs, listed on our website. There are seven organizations/services on this list. The list is not exhaustive and might need to be updated with new organizations.

 

Q 13: Can Zero Waste Marin please describe the methodology used to identify the preliminary list of Tier 1 and Tier 2 Generators and/or Food Recovery Organizations/Services?

A 13: Zero Waste Marin has followed the guidance indicated by CalRecycle in this document. Supermarkets have been pulled from the CalRecycle Convenience Zone database, wholesalers and food service providers were requested from the California Department of Public Health. The remaining information about edible food generators has been requested from the Marin County Environmental Health Department.

 

Q 14: From Page 16 of the RFP: “In addition, the vendor will estimate the amount of edible food (in pounds) currently being disposed of, whether through landfilling or composting, that could otherwise be recovered for human consumption.” Does this task include estimating the total edible food currently being disposed of in the landfill, across every generator type (commercial, residential, etc.) or is this an estimation based only on covered Tier 1 and Tier 2 generators?

A 14: This estimation is meant to be based upon the covered Tier 1 and Tier 2 generators.

 

Q 15: Under Food Recovery Organization and Services, Section E on page 17, what is meant by food vendors?

A 15: Section E is meant to indicate how many new edible food generators covered under Tier 1 and Tier 2 can be served by either FROs or FRSs.

 

Q 16: What level of commitment does Zero Waste Marin/the County have for developing new edible food recovery capacity as may be identified under the requested scope of work?

A 16: Zero Waste Marin is committed to following up on the recommendations of the potential selected vendor to improve and expand the edible food recovery capacity for the County in order to meet SB 1383 regulations.

 

Q 17: Did Zero Waste Marin or the County perform an edible food recovery capacity study in 2022 as required under SB 1383? If so, can Zero Waste Marin share the methodology used to perform the study and the results?

A 17: Zero Waste Marin was unable to complete a full capacity study in 2022 but did submit a report to CalRecycle using the Edible Food Recovery Capacity Calculator and by working with our consultant to gather jurisdictional information for that time. Zero Waste Marin and CalRecycle are in discussions about the results of the report, so it cannot yet be shared. We will work with the chosen vendor to share relevant information.

 

 

 

Free Toxic Away Day in Point Reyes

Posted on April 27, 2023
Toxic and hazardous

What: Dispose of toxic materials
When: Saturday, May 13, 2023, 9:00 am – 1:00 pm
Where: Pt. Reyes Fire Station (4th and B Streets)
How: By Appointment only: Call 916-351-0980 Ext. 0204

Safely dispose of toxic materials for free, including:

  • Paints, stains, solvents
  • Motor oil, antifreeze
  • Bleach, cleaners, pesticides
  • E-waste, batteries, lightbulbs

Disposal limit: 15 gallons liquid or 125 pounds of dry waste.

 

Request for Proposals for SB 1383 Edible Food Recovery Capacity Planning

Posted on April 17, 2023

Zero Waste Marin has an open RFP to seek external assistance with preparing our SB 1383 Edible Food Recovery Capacity Planning and Study, as required by CalRecycle. Main goals include determining the amount of surplus edible food generation, the capacity of current food recovery organizations, and needs for any additional edible food recovery capacity, among others. For full details, please read the RFP in its entirety.

Request for Proposals for SB 1383 Edible Food Recovery Capacity Planning

This RFP is due on Friday, May 26th by 2:00pm local time.

Any questions about this RFP must be received by Monday, May 1st, 2023, no later than 2:00pm. Answers will be posted on Friday, May 5, 2023.

You’re Invited: Zero Waste Symposium on May 11

Posted on April 13, 2023

ZW Symposium header

The 2023 Zero Waste Symposium will take place on Thursday, May 11th from 8am to 5pm with a happy hour to follow. Learn about reuse, recycling, redesigning, and rethinking our waste systems locally and cutting-edge information in this space.

Keynote speakers include Marcus Eriksen of 5 Gyres, Colin West with Clean Up the Lake and Heidi Sanborn from the National Stewardship Action Council.

Learn more and save your seat at: www.zerowastenorthbay.org.