The concept of Zero Waste is an end goal but with a caveat. The goal is to truly reduce total waste generation to zero, but the reality is average organization (Business, school, home, or city) attempting "Zero Waste" achieve approximately 90% diversion. The process entails the analysis of your total waste generation, then redesigning your business process to design the waste out. If you know that at the end you have large portions of X, then go upstream and change your process to eliminate all the residual of X. Design for obsolescence.

Information in Zero Waste:

• Choose to Reuse Single Use Carry Out Bags
• Environmentally-Friendly Food Packaging
• Food Scrap Collection Program

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reduce food waste

To reduce food waste and help food insecure families, edible food may be donated to the following organizations:

• Monterey County Food Bank: 353 W. Rossi Street in Salinas, https://foodbankformontereycounty.org/
• Salvation Army: 800 Scott Street in Sand City,  https://montereypeninsula.salvationarmy.org/monterey_peninsula_corps/cure-hunger/
• Thomas Carman Food Pantry: 425 Carmel Avenue in Marina (non-perishables only), https://www.thomascarmenfoodpantry.org/
• Meals on Wheels: 700 Jewell Avenue in Pacific Grove, https://www.mowmp.org/

Please refer to the organization's website, or contact them directly, for information on accepted donations and any specified collection days prior to drop off.

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Choose to Reuse

Use reusable bags every time you shop instead of plastic ones.
Here's why:

• Each year billions of bags end up in our streets as litter.
• Production requires vast amounts of oil.
• Plastic bags don’t biodegrade, but instead break down into small toxic particles polluting our soil and waterways.
• Recent studies have shown that plastic outnumbers plankton 6:1 in the ocean.

"If you are not for Zero Waste, how much waste are you for?"  ~ Gary Liss, Founder, National Recycling Coalition