Sustainable materials management policies refer to a broad array of regulatory and policy measures aimed at minimizing solid waste generation, improving the performance of solid waste collection, processing, and recovery practices, and/or minimizing environmental, economic, and/or social impacts across the lifecycle of products. SWEEP focuses on sustainable materials management practices related specifically to solid waste.
Sample sustainable materials management policy practices:
- Adoption of incentive oriented programs & policies, such as pay-as-you-throw
- Carbon footprint reduction policy
- Implementation of incentive-based recycling
- Environmentally preferable product procurement policy
- Implementation of local mandatory recycling policy
- Enforcement of statewide mandatory recycling policy
- Enforcement of statewide landfill ban(s)
I would like to make sure that we discuss looking at diversion based on toxicity and the damage materials can do once they reach the landfill. If we were to start prioritizing diversion based on mitigating damage to the environment that would be an industry game changer. Tracking diversion based only on weight and profitability are giving us a skewed snapshot of what is actually being accomplished. Especially on the C&D front.