Integrated Zero Waste Management Plan for the City of Berkeley

Brea, CA (February 8, 2023) JRMA, a leading architectural, engineering, and planning firm specializing in the design of solid waste facilities including transfer stations, materials recovery facilities (MRFs), and anaerobic digestion/biogas plants (AD), is pleased to announce they are collaborating with Abbe and Associates to develop an Integrated Zero Waste Management Plan for the City of Berkeley.

The project will be led by Abbe and Associates, with support from JRMA, to provide methodologies, guidance, and an implementation plan for the City’s Zero Waste Division’s (ZWD) operation, personnel, program, and financial requirements to meet the City’s Climate and Zero Waste goals. In 2005, the Berkeley City Council adopted a Zero Waste Goal to eliminate Berkeley's materials sent to landfills by the year 2020. The Zero Waste Management Strategic Plan will include the identification of a diversion percentage of all materials for a Zero Waste Goal, propose a revised target year to attain the goal for City Council approval, and the potential costs to achieve the proposed Zero Waste Goal.

The Zero Waste Commission wrote in their report that “The City has significant opportunities to improve its zero waste services and infrastructure, at reasonable cost, which would expand local economic development and job opportunities.” JRMA is excited to join Abbe and Associates to assist the City in reaching its goals.

JRMA, dba Zero Waste Collaborative, previously completed a Solid Waste & Recycling Transfer Station Feasibility Study for Berkeley for transforming its current outdated transfer station and recycling facilities into a new state-of-the-art Zero Waste Transfer Station. The Study was completed in October 2019 and is the basis for current environmental review and permitting efforts by the City.