2000 Annual Report: Home Page

Letter from the Cal/EPA Secretary | Letter from the Board Chair

Who We Are

The Integrated Waste Management Board (IWMB) started its journey in 1990 following passage of the Integrated Waste Management Act (AB 939, Sher, Chapter 1095, Statutes of 1989). This legislation set a lofty stage for a series of statewide reforms in waste management: establishing the 50 percent diversion goal for local government, based on an integrated waste management hierarchy that prioritized waste reduction and recycling over all other options; inspiring the reduce, reuse, recycle ethic; enhancing public outreach programs and environmental curricula in schools; and improving landfill safety requirements.

Charting the course for the IWMB are its six board members; four appointed by the Governor, and one each by the Senate Rules Committee and the Speaker of the Assembly. To ensure a broad range of IWMB expertise, one of the Governor's appointees must have private sector experience in the waste industry and a second must have experience in the nonprofit environmental community. For the purposes of reference in this document, the terms “IWMB” and “Waste Board” are used interchangeably.

Hitting the Goal Year

The year 2000 was the benchmark year for California cities and counties working to meet the State’s 50 percent waste diversion goal set a decade ago by AB 939. The goal was a landmark and the State's effort to reach it a bellwether among statewide integrated waste management programs around the nation.

Many thought—and some still do—that cutting waste in half was too optimistic. Yet, quite a few local governments in California surpassed the goal and, as a whole, this grand experiment in changing social behavior has been a resounding success.

Surge in Diversion. Using the IWMB's most recent estimates, California diverted 42 percent of its waste from landfills in 2000. While still short of the 50 percent goal, the statewide diversion rate has jumped nine percent since 1998, a tribute to the IWMB's strategic targeting of organics and construction and demolition materials in the waste stream. In terms of sheer tonnage, waste diversion has catapulted 51 percent over this period, from 18.5 million tons diverted in 1998 to 28 million in 2000. In the same two-year period, waste disposal in landfills increased only 700,000 tons statewide, despite the state’s burgeoning economy—proof of the public's strong embrace of a new resource conservation ethic.

The IWMB's task of evaluating local governments' progress toward the 50 percent goal begins later in 2001 when annual reports for 2000 are due. Based on current information, some 40 to 50 percent of the jurisdictions will reach the 50 percent goal. Those that did not reach the mark in 2000 may request additional time—up to five years, but no later than January 1, 2006—if the IWMB agrees that they are continuing to make a good faith effort.

The Next 10 Years

Senator Byron Sher had a clear vision when, in 1989, he authored legislation creating the IWMB and the framework for California’s new integrated waste management infrastructure. Then and now, some believe the 50 percent diversion goal is too aggressive and too costly. Still others believe that our goal should be zero waste. No matter what we believe individually, all Californians should be proud of our accomplishments.

As we near the goal, we must be certain that we sustain our achievements. To do this, we must focus on changing not only our actions, but also our very understanding about resources. Waste is a resource that we are using inefficiently. By being more efficient with our resources, we will reduce waste.

The IWMB is looking to the future and will be updating its strategic plan in 2001. Key elements of the plan will be sustainability, product stewardship, and energy recovery.

Sustainability means “creating economic, ecological, and social prosperity while ensuring that future generations will have the same opportunity to create their own prosperity.” The IWMB is committed to working with its partners to develop a future modeled on resource stewardship and waste minimization.

In this partnership, the IWMB, local government, private businesses, and product manufacturers will collaborate to develop sustainable markets for resources diverted from the California waste stream. The partnership will also promote and exercise product stewardship, address environmental justice, minimize pollution and waste generation, and safely manage unavoidable discards.

Note: An Executive Summary of this report is available for download in Adobe PDF format. If you are having difficulty accessing the PDF file, you may need to download the free Adobe Acrobat Reader.