Laserfiche WebLink
Why is Bay-Friendly <br />Landscaping Important? <br />Over the last two decades, there has been a signif cant <br />reduction in plant debris landfilled in the San Francisco Bay <br />Area, due in large part to residential recycling programs and <br />because tens of thousands of households practice backyard <br />composting. This positive trend reflects the interest of <br />residents in recycling plant debris and reducing waste. <br />But more needs to be done, as tons of plant debris are still <br />thrown away each year. Twenty-three states have banned or <br />limited the disposal of plant debris in their landflls; however <br />California has not and statewide, 2.7 million tons of plant <br />debris are landfilled each year. Leaves and clippings alone are <br />sixth out of the ten most prevalent material types in <br />California's overall disposal waste system. In Alameda County <br />alone 110,000 tons of plant debris are still landfilled each year, <br />much of which passes through the hands of a professional <br />landscaper. <br />Other types of waste, including plastics and hazardous wastes, <br />are also generated by conventional landscaping practices.The <br />horticultural industry in the US throws away almost ahalf- <br />billion pounds of greenhouse flm, plastic pots and plastic <br />groundcover each year. Annual disposal of leftover pesticides <br />used by residents costs tens of thousands of dollars for each <br />Bay Area County -and only a fraction of the pesticides are <br />disposed of properly. <br />Bay-Friendly landscaping minimizes the use of plastics and <br />pesticides, and diverts plant debris from the landfill by <br />preventing waste in the first place through careful plant <br />selection, watering and fertilizing or reusing plant material <br />through grasscycling, mulch and compost. <br />Because generating plant debris is linked to a wide range of <br />landscaping practices -such as watering and fertilizing this <br />integrated solution is essential. <br />~~ <br />"Lacndscacpe waste <br />is an unused resource, a <br />misapplied nutrient. " <br />- Geoff Hall, Co-Founder, <br />Sentient landscape, Inc., Sebastapol <br />Multi-Family 9% <br />commercial 13% <br />Source: Alameda County, Year 2000 <br />109,393 tons <br />"For the landscaping industry to perpetuate <br />itself, we have to answer some nagging questions. The number one <br />question is, what are we going to do with all this waste we generate?" <br />- Manual L. Gonzales, Director of'liaining, Cagwin & Dorward, Novato <br />~:_._i_ ~:amily 15% <br />5 <br />Self-Haul 53% Roll-Off 10% <br />