Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan
An Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan (ISWMP) is a strategic approach to managing solid waste in an efficient and sustainable manner. The development of an ISWMP typically involves significant outreach and engagement with major waste generators to determine the flow of waste throughout the community. A comprehensive plan will consider waste prevention, recycling, composting, disposal practices, and the necessary equipment/infrastructure. The overall goal of such a plan is to protect human health and the environment while maximizing resource use efficiency and promoting cost-effective and convenient disposal and reuse practices.
Organics Implementation Plan
An organics implementation plan is similar to an ISWMP, but it is more targeted on organic waste management, specifically. Thisplan may be a necessity for organizations or communities that have a waste management plan and/or sufficient infrastructure, but struggle with finding sustainable solutions for food and yard waste. These plans explore the feasibility of composting or other means of food waste diversion and recovery, summarizing this information into actionable steps.
For example, our team crafted an organics implementation plan for San Juan County, a remote, rural county in western Washington comprising hundreds of islands. While the county is home to only about 18,000 full-time residents, it welcomes over a million visitors each year. These residents, visitors, and the businesses that serve them have very limited or no options for recycling organic materials, which results in a substantial amount of compostable material being landfilled. Hauling all this waste back to the mainland via ferry and then trucking it to remote mega-landfills creates an environmental and financial burden on the county, residents, and businesses. Rather than continuing this expensive and environmentally damaging practice, organic materials could remain on the islands, nourishing local soils and enhancing local farms. Therefore, a solution for recycling organic waste became a high priority for the county and is one of many examples of the need for an organics plan.
