2000 Annual Report: Local Assistance

Local Assistance Topics

Introduction Local Planning Documents Infrastructure Regional Agencies Establishing Base Levels Program Implementation Disposal Reporting System Waste Characterization Jurisdiction Compliance Biennial Reviews Tools and Targeted Assistance New Initiatives

Each city, county, and region was required to divert 25 percent of its solid waste from landfills and transformation facilities by 1995, and 50 percent diversion was required in the year 2000. In addition to the diversion mandates, each county is required to secure 15 years of landfill capacity to ensure adequate and environmentally safe disposal. The IWMB is responsible for ensuring that local governments adequately plan, implement, and report results of programs for the environmentally safe and economically efficient collection, transfer, diversion, and disposal of solid waste.

California continues to make progress toward the 50 percent diversion mandate. The statewide diversion rate reached 42 percent in 2000, continuing an upward trend that started with a rate of about 10 percent in 1989. The 2000 numbers also demonstrate how aggressively Californians have charted the shift from disposal to diversion.

AB 939 also set the stage for a series of reforms affecting waste management at the State and local levels, which resulted in the creation of a statewide collection infrastructure and a cultural shift that has elevated conservation of resources over the convenience of disposal.

The IWMB assists local governments to meet the planning and diversion mandates of the Integrated Waste Management Act of 1989 (Act). Overall activities include:

• Developing tools and models to assist local jurisdictions.
• Providing detailed guidelines for preparation of local jurisdiction waste management plans and reviewing local plans for statutory, regulatory, and technical adequacy.
• Assisting State agencies with local planning and implementation activities.

Estimated California Solid Waste Tonnages and Diversion Rates

Year	Estimated Diversionb	Reported Disposalb	Estimated Generationb	Estimated Diversion Rate
1989a	5.0	44.0	49.0	10%
1990	8.5	42.4	50.9	17%
1991	9.7	39.5	49.2	20%
1992	10.2	38.4	48.6	21%
1993	11.4	36.7	48.1	24%
1994	12.4	36.3	48.7	25%
1995	13.7	36.0	49.7	28%
1996	15.9	35.0	50.9	31%
1997	17.0	35.5	52.5	32%
1998	18.5	37.4	55.9	33%
1999	22.2	37.5	59.7	37%
2000	28.0	38.1	66.1	42%

^a1989 estimates are based on the best available data at the time. All later estimates are derived from base year data, including adjustments approved by the IWMB since 1996 that reflect jurisdictions’ more extensive review of the data. These adjustments have increased the generation estimates, causing a jump in the diversion rate from 1989 to 1990.

^bData values are in millions  of tons.

The IWMB staff serves as a liaison between local and State governments and the IWMB and its program areas, providing input for the development of IWMB policies concerning solid waste planning and implementation issues. IWMB staff provides direct planning and implementation assistance through response to inquiries, local meeting attendance, instructional workshops, and development of guidance documents, as well as ongoing tracking and monitoring of local government progress in plan implementation. Staff continues to expand and develop tools for local jurisdictions, which are available at the IWMB’s Local Government Central Web site.

The IWMB staff also focuses on development of tools and information for decision makers. Staff works to develop easy-to-use, integrated, and effectively presented data and serves as an information clearinghouse for internal customers and stakeholders worldwide. This effort promotes sound, data-driven policy decisions by creating a complete picture of California’s waste stream, increasing diversion measurement accuracy, and developing tools to reduce jurisdictions’ time and costs to reach and exceed 50 percent diversion, while effectively presenting and distributing information (with special emphasis on the Web). The Local Government Central website, which focuses on IWMB's primary customers, is well used. Average usage of the site increased five-fold in 2000.