Editable-Baltimore's Fair Development Plan for Zero Waste - Flipbook - Page 11
Introduction:
Baltimore’s Failed Waste System
This Plan was developed by the community under
the guidance of United Workers and the Fair
Development Roundtable with help from the
Baltimore City Council and managed by Zero
Waste Associates and the Institute for Local SelfReliance. Support for this plan was gathered
through meetings, workshops and stakeholder
interviews.
Meaningful and genuine engagement was
conducted with civic organizations, churches,
business leaders, universities, community
development corporations and individuals from all
quadrants of the city. Frontline and directly
impacted communities were intentionally a
priority for engagement. In-depth discussions on
critical issues, concerns with the existing system,
and goals for Zero Waste and what would help the
most to realize those goals were held. Strong
relationships were developed with all those
contacted, keeping them informed and getting
their input on analyses and reports as they were
developed.
This Zero Waste Plan was created through a lens
of racial and economic equity paired with the
standards of Zero Waste applied world-wide.
The community strongly communicated that
structural racism and economic disparities have
exacerbated the environmental and waste crisis
in Baltimore. The burdens of the location of the
trash incinerator and other waste facilities and
the increase in illegal dumping have fallen
disproportionately on black and poor
neighborhoods. The reality is that only some
neighborhoods have reliable, consistent
recycling services while others are ignored,
including no recycling in public housing.
Although apartments are supposed to have
recycling by State law, managers of apartment
buildings are getting fined so much for
contamination that they are stopping collection
of recycling altogether.
The solution to our waste crisis needs to attack
root causes, align with human rights principles,
and anchor to a Zero Waste framework so that
Baltimore can turn the page towards a new
system of Fair Development and meeting the
needs of people and the planet. A Fair
Development vision for Zero Waste links it to the
imperative of creating healthy, safe and clean
communities with affordable housing and living
wage jobs for local residents.
Baltimore’s Fair Development Plan for Zero Waste
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