Waste / Circular Economy

Working Draft: Stage 2 – reviewed by a small group of stakeholders and subject matter experts

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Vision – Arizona is recognized nationally for valuing its materials through the development of a circular ecosystem driven by local reuse, recycling, recovery and sustainable manufacturing markets, which improves the environmental, economic and social health of the community.

Definition of Waste: Any garbage, trash, rubbish, waste tire, refuse, sludge from a waste treatment plant, water supply treatment plant or pollution control facility and other discarded material, including solid, liquid, semisolid or contained gaseous material. ARS 49-701.01

Goal – Reduce

• Product Design and Manufacturing
  1. To produce products with the least environmental impacts and the highest potential for recycling or recovery.
     • Create a lifecycle approach to manufacturing.
  2. To minimize or eliminate waste in manufacturing and maximize residual material value.
• Zero Waste Vision: Education and Behavior Change
  1. To provide effective resources to enable and empower consumers to responsibly purchase, consume, reuse, recover and recycle their waste.
     • Establish a robust recycling education program.
  2. To change the mindset of consumers that waste has value, thereby reducing waste generation, consumption and disposal.
     • Establish sustainable purchasing policies within place of business.

Key policies to consider

Takeback programs, ban on non-recoverable materials, encourage individual market players to set goals specific to their business.

Key influencers for success

Municipalities, consumer packaged goods companies, producers, manufacturers, businesses, food and agriculture, consumers, etc.

Goal: Reuse and Repair

• Product Reuse and Remanufacturing
  1. To prioritize the best and highest use of materials to maximize their lifespan.
     • Educate, innovate and implement best practices and programs

• Product Repair
  1. To provide programs and incentives to encourage the growth of local repair and reuse models.
     • Educate, innovate, and implement best practices and programs

Key policies to consider

Reuse/resource Center, C&D MRF, swap shop/HHW sharing, thrift shops, textiles, deconstruction, repair shop, etc.

Key influencers for success

Municipalities, consumer packaged goods companies, producers, manufacturers, businesses,  consumers, etc.

Goal: Recover and Recycle

• Product End of Life Management
  1. To provide effective recycling and composting programs that prevent materials from being landfilled.
• Local Circular Economy Development
  1. To foster and stimulate the growth of local recovery markets, reducing the need for exporting materials.
  2. To facilitate the expansion of circular economy related businesses and jobs.

Key policies to consider

Resource innovation campus, MRF, resource recovery incubator, etc.

Key influencers for success

Municipalities, consumer packaged goods companies, producers, manufacturers, businesses, food and agriculture, consumers, etc.

Overarching ideas for exploration

Partnering with commercial recycling operators to improve the capture and value of recovered materials, educating members of state legislature on recycling issues in Arizona, standardizing recycling education across all sectors, supporting local businesses in education and implementation of best practices, etc.

Team members

• Lucas Mariacher, City of Phoenix (Chair)
• Lauren Whittaker, City of Mesa
• Alexis Yaple/Eric MacDonald, City of Phoenix
• JB Shaw, Arizona Department of Environmental Quality
• Erin Murphy, ASU
• Kyla Fisher, Three Peaks Consulting
• Dylan Lenzen, City of Flagstaff
• Becky Borquez, City of Peoria
• Rajesh Buch, ASU
• Alicia Marseille, ASU
• Cristina Polsgrove, City of Tucson
• Adam Kurtz, City of Goodyear

Last revised May 2021

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