Diversity may be key to waste diversion - Municipal Recycling - Minority Communities and the Waste Stream report was commissioned by California Integrated Waste Management Board - Brief Article

Recycling Today, Feb, 2003

California State University, Sacramento, Professor Dennis H. Tootelian, Ph.D., has completed a study titled Minority Communities and the Waste Stream commissioned by the California Integrated Waste Management Board. It examines the relationship between cultural diversity and the success of local waste diversion programs.

The study outlines several issues that need further analysis "if diversion rates are to rise, diverse populations are to be served appropriately and environmental justice is to be achieved," Tootelian concludes.

The study analyzed diversity and diversion rates in five geographic areas: the Bay Area (Alameda, Contra Costa, Santa Clara counties), San Francisco County, the greater Sacramento Area (El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento counties), Los Angeles County and Orange County. The report can be downloaded from the Waste Board's Web site at www.ciwmb.ca.gov/Publications/default.asp?pubid=984.