Background History: For most of the first half of twentieth century, we recovered for reuse about 75 percent of the waste we generated. That impressive figure had dropped to 7.5 percent in the 1970s and became a diving issue in the 1980s with the perceived landfill shortage issue. This issue was best illustrated by the 1987 "garbage barge," which left Long Island, New York in search of a final disposal site. The floating barge was a lead story in the print and television mediums throughout the nation. This event shifted the focus of national emphasis was focused on Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) management.

These events spurred renewed emphasis on reducing, reusing and recycling materials within the wastestream. The commitment to ensure safe landfilling and combustion of MSW was reinforced through legislation and regulations to strengthen the commitment to the health and safety of our citizens in California as well as the protection of our environment.

To focus on this renewed environmental emphasis the California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB) was created. The CIWMB's authority and responsibilities were shaped by two pieces of legislation (AB 939 and SB 1322) signed into law as the Integrated Waste Management Act of 1989. The Act established a new approach to managing California's waste stream, the centerpiece of which mandated goals of 25 percent diversion of each city's and county's waste from disposal by 1995, and 50 percent diversion in 2000. Additionally, the Act set a process to ensure environmentally safe disposal of waste that could not be diverted and a $10,000 per day fines for cities and counties that refused to be part of the solution.

In Marin: The Integrated Waste Management Act required all cities and counties to develop Integrated Waste Management Plans to outline how each agency was to meet the 25% and 50% mandates. Realizing that it would be mutually beneficial to jointly prepare the Integrated Waste Management Plan Marin's cities and towns and the County entered into a Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) in 1990.

Since this time, Marin's public agencies and private waste haulers and facility operators have worked together to develop Marin's Integrated Waste Management Plan and to implement the recycling programs necessary to meet the States 25% and 50% mandates. In 1996, the partnership forged with the MOU brought Marin's cities and County to form the Marin Hazardous and Solid Waste Joint Powers Authority (JPA) The JPA is comprised of the cities and towns of Belvedere, Corte Madera, Fairfax, Larkspur, Mill Valley, Novato, Ross, San Anselmo, San Rafael, Sausalito, and Tiburon, and the County of Marin. The purpose of the JPA is to ensure Marin's compliance with the California Integrated Waste Management Act and its waste reduction mandates of 25% and 50 %. In 1997 the CIWMB recognized the JPA as a Regional Agency. This Regional Agency status allows the JPA members to report to the State as one political body instead of 12 as was previously required.

In addition to working to address the statutory requirements of the Integrated Waste Management Act, the JPA also provides hazardous waste collection to citizens and businesses in all areas of Marin except for the City of Novato. The City of Novato operates its own hazardous waste collection program in conjunction with Novato Disposal and Novato Sanitary District.

As proof that Marin's inter-agency cooperation and strong public-private partnership is successful, the JPA surpassed the State's 50% mandate and posted a 62.3% diversion rate for Marin in year 2000. This diversion rate positions Marin's Regional Agency as a State leader in recycling and waste reduction. However, hard challenges still face Marin in the handling of its waste. First and foremost of these challenges is e-waste (electronic waste) much of which has hazardous contents.

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