With more than 80 per cent of North Americans now living in urban areas, the actions of city governments, residents and businesses are critical to making inroads in sustainability. We’ve found four examples of inspirational initiatives which are changing cities for the better that mirror the values that drive our sustainable manufacturing practices – from reducing greenhouse gas emissions to conserving water and using life cycle assessment to understand the environmental impact of our products.
Recycling: San Francisco knows it’s good for the environment and for the economy
As a manufacturer of post-consumer content paper, we utilize a lot of recycled material at Rolland and so we pay close attention to trends and leaders on this subject. In San Francisco, 80 per cent of municipal solid waste (MSW) is recycled or composted. That’s the highest rate of any city in North America with a population above 100,000.
In contrast, the United States recycles and composts 35 per cent of MSW. This amounted to 89 million tons in 2014, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by the equivalent of the annual emissions from more than 38 million cars.
San Francisco aims to be a zero waste city by 2020. Simply putting waste into the correct bins would result in a 90% recycling and composting rate – a reminder that every little action performed every day makes a difference.
The city’s mayor, Edwin M. Lee, has pointed out that recycling alone creates 10 times more jobs than landfilling refuse, making it good for the economy. The zero waste program is funded solely by revenue from refuse rates paid by customers, underlining San Francisco’s practical approach.
To read about more cities that are committed to helping our environment, please click the link below.
read more/source: http://www.rollandinc.com/en/blog/sustainably-inspirational-cities