Success Stories

When a San Francisco apartment building with over 150 units failed a city waste audit due to high contamination in their landfill stream, they needed expert help — fast.

That’s when they brought in Zero Waste Facilitators.

Our Approach:

• Onsite Waste Sorting:

We developed and implemented a plan to sort 48 cubic yards of waste per week in the parking lot, three days per week, separating materials into landfill, mixed recycling, and organics.

• Data-Driven Waste Audits:

Over the first month, we performed multiple waste audits to gather critical data. We identified the top five materialscausing contamination and measured the waste volume on pickup days.

This allowed us to make targeted recommendations to improve compliance and report accurate information back to the city.

• Education and Program Development:

We created custom education materials and conducted training sessions for both residents and onsite staff, making waste separation simple and clear.

We also recommended waste equipment upgrades and right-sized the collection program to better match the building’s actual needs.

• Household Hazardous Waste Management:

During our audits, we discovered that universal household hazardous waste (like batteries, light bulbs, and corded electronics) was ending up in the landfill.

To fix this, we established a dedicated collection area with site-specific signage and provided free disposal services, making it easy for tenants to properly dispose of hazardous materials.

The Results:

✅ Avoided over $365,000 in potential annual fines from the city.

✅ Reduced the waste hauler bill by 5%.

✅ Improved resident engagement with waste separation programs.

✅ Created a sustainable, customized waste management system tailored to the property’s needs.

A mid-sized national retail store in San Francisco, with over 25 onsite employees, failed a city waste audit due to contamination across multiple waste streams.

They brought in Zero Waste Facilitators to turn things around.

The Results:

✅ $365,000+ in fines avoided

✅ 60% reduction in waste sorting labor costs

✅ A sustainable program maintainable without ongoing sorters

✅ Strong engagement from corporate partners, onsite teams, and waste haulers

Our Approach:

Program Audit:

We evaluated every aspect of their waste system — from customer-facing bins inside the store to employee-facing bins indoors and outdoors. We reviewed bin placement, signage (or lack of it), and contamination levels across landfill, recycling, and compost streams.

Targeted Improvements:

1. New, site-specific signage and color-coded bins were added in week two, leading to a 29% drop in contamination.
2.  We repositioned bins and installed stream-specific lids, resulting in an additional 10% contamination reduction.
3. We provided in-person employee education sessions and created a custom waste sorting video that played in the breakroom and backroom, driving further improvements.

Ongoing Auditing:

Over six weeks, we tracked and fine-tuned the program, measuring continuous drops in contamination with each change.

Zero Waste Facilitators acted as the liaison between the city, the waste hauler, the client’s corporate team, and onsite staff, seamlessly designing a custom solution everyone could support.

By making waste sorting simple, visible, and easy to maintain, we helped this client protect their brand, save money, and contribute to a healthier planet — proving that smart systems and clear communication make all the difference.