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Environmental Accords, which call for sending zero waste to landfills and incinerators by the year 2040, and for reducing per capita solid waste disposal in landfills and incinerators by 20% within. seven years (Platt, et al., 2008. pg 15). ln. 2005, Eureka Recycling convened the Saint Paul Environmental Roundtable. The work of the Roundtable, made up of residents from throughout Saint Paul, culminated in the passage of a resolution to set Saint Paul's policy direction on six environmental issues: zero waste, food systems, cleaner energy, green building, open space and water stewardship. In 2006, as a result of the roundtable recommendations, the City of Saint Paul adopted the goal of being a zero waste city by 2020 {http.://www.eurekarec,~ cling.org/environmentalroundtable/index.cfi~1). In 2008, th.e City of Burnsville (http://~v~vw.ci.)JUrnsville,;mn.us) began working with a consortium of nonprofits and businesses to create the first ever full municipal sustainability plan in Minnesota. Recognizing the need to provide all communities clear and concise examples For crafting zero-waste policies and strategic plans to achieve zero waste, Eureka Recycling compiled a Zero Waste Ordinance Resource Guide with nearly 70 examples from. communities that are leading the way. This Resource Guide was first presented at the Alliance For Sustainability's "Local Government sustainability Workshop -Using Model sustainability Ordinances to Implement your City's sustainability Goals" in Saint Paul, MN, in April 2008 {http://www.stpauL og_v). In order to reach these goals, it will. take an investment in our current recycling and composting infrastructure. If we continue to invest in wasting by putting the significant capital investments required to build incinerators and landfills, our zero-waste efforts will be banknipt. Currently wasting competes for the dollars that could be used to preserve and expand recycling and composting efforts such as these: • Invest in a composting infrastructure. • Provide more drop-off opportunities Far hard-to-recycle items. • Maximize our curbside work by investing in education, adding new materials, and ensuring that the materials collected actually get recycled. • Find solutions to deal with mixed plastics and additional metals, since they have a large carbon footprint and are under-recycled. • Focus on eliminating a small percent of waste that is left using extended producer responsibility, reuse, and reduction strategies. Page 18