For Immediate Release

Wednesday, Sept. 5, 2018

Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: john@jgpr.net

Newburyport Joins Cities From Around the World in Committing to Work Toward Zero Waste

Mayor Holaday Invited to Join Peers at Global Climate Action Summit This Month

NEWBURYPORT — Mayor Donna Holaday is pleased to announce that the City of Newburyport has joined 22 major cities from around the world in committing to significantly cut the amount of waste they generate, setting them on an accelerated path toward zero waste.

By signing C40’s Advancing Towards Zero Waste Declaration, these cities and regions have pledged to cut the amount of waste generated by each citizen 15 percent by 2030, reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills and incineration by 50 percent and increase the diversion rate to 70 percent by 2030. Signatory cities and regions include Auckland, Catalonia, Copenhagen, Dubai, London, Milan, Montreal, Navarra, New York City, Newburyport, Paris, Philadelphia, Portland, Rotterdam, San Francisco, San Jose, Santa Monica, Sydney, Tel Aviv, Tokyo, Toronto, Vancouver and Washington D.C

Such bold commitments, made ahead of the Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco, are essential steps in delivering on the highest goals of the Paris Agreement and keeping global temperature rise below 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit). Mayor Holaday has been invited by Gov. Jerry Brown to join her colleagues who signed this agreement at the summit on Sept. 12-14. 

“I’m extremely excited to join mayors from around the world at the Global Climate Action Summit,” Mayor Holaday added. “This will be a uniquely invaluable opportunity to join together with global leaders to take tangible steps toward our goal of eliminating waste and stemming the tide of climate change.” 

Through community support and partnerships, Newburyport has worked to to educate residents and incrementally achieve significant reductions through creative organics programs, hazardous waste and electronics recycling, banning single-use plastic bags and re-purposing excess foods in schools.

Worldwide waste generation is increasing faster than any other environmental pollutant, and action in this sector can have a much faster and greater impact in combating climate change. For instance, the 1.3 billion tons of annual worldwide food scraps sent to landfills each year decomposes into methane, which is a much more potent greenhouse gas than CO2 and already accounts for 25 percent of current global warming. Transforming solid waste and material management systems globally could reduce global emissions by 20 percent.

That is why mayors of the world’s urban centers are accelerating the transition towards a zero-waste future. Mayors have committed to taking ambitious, measurable and inclusive actions to reduce municipal solid waste generation and improve materials management in their cities, both key to making urban centers cleaner, healthier, more resilient and inclusive. Better waste management can also create jobs and economic opportunities for social entrepreneurs and vulnerable communities.

The Advancing Towards Zero Waste Declaration is built on two bold commitments:

Reducing the municipal solid waste generation per capita by at least 15 percent by 2030 compared to 2015. And reducing the amount of municipal solid waste disposed to landfill and incineration by at least 50 percent by 2030 compared to 2015, while increasing the diversion rate away from landfill and incineration to at least 70 percent by 2030.

Specifically, signatory cities will implement bold actions, including:

• Reduce food losses and wasting of food at the retail and consumer levels by decreasing losses along production and supply chains, minimizing the production of surplus food and facilitating safe food donation and by-products for feed production.
• Implement source separated collection for food scraps and other organics and treatment infrastructure that recovers nutrients and energy and contributes to the restoration of carbon storage capacity in soils.
• Support the implementation of local and regional policies, such as extended producer responsibility and sustainable procurement, to reduce or ban single-use and non-recyclable plastics and other materials, while also improving goods reparability and recyclability.
• Increase reuse, recovery and recycling of construction and demolition materials.
• Increase accessibility, awareness, scale and inclusivity of reduction, re-utilization and recycling programs and policies for all communities and neighborhoods; investing in citywide communication and engagement efforts; and offering resources in multiple languages.
• Ensure benefits are distributed equitably across the city population.
• Publicly report every two years on the progress the cities are making towards these goals.

“Newburyport is proud to join cities and mayors across the globe to address the critical need to reduce and advance our work towards zero waste,” Mayor Holaday said. “Each city that steps up to join these efforts will make a real difference today and as we plan for the future health of our communities.”

About C40 Cities:
C40 Cities connects 96 of the world’s greatest cities to take bold climate action, leading the way towards a healthier and more sustainable future. Representing 700+ million citizens and one quarter of the global economy, mayors of the C40 cities are committed to delivering on the most ambitious goals of the Paris Agreement at the local level, as well as to cleaning the air we breathe.

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