Going zero waste isn't easy; not for individuals and surely not for municipalities. In 2019, Nashville, Tennessee adopted a Zero Waste Master Plan with the goal to achieve 90% diversion from landfill over 30 years. Unfortunately as this plan was being launched, the city was immediately hit with multiple challenges including a myriad of devastating disasters, the onset of the COVID pandemic, financial crises, and a failing trash contractor.
Celebrate Zero Waste Week and join Jenn Harrman, Metro Nashville's Zero Waste Program Manager, to learn about Nashville's rocky start to achieving city-wide zero waste. Jenn will provide an overview of how Nashville developed its Zero Waste Master Plan, lessons learned from these unforeseen challenges and how the city continued to make progress, and what steps the city is taking to move new initiatives forward for zero waste. This includes proposed legislation for construction and demolition material recycling and an upcoming residential food scraps recycling collection pilot.
