Zero Waste Gainesville

Thank You for Supporting the

Zero Waste Ordinances!

Thank You to Everyone Who Supported the Zero Waste Ordinances!

Your emails and presence at the October 23, 2025 Gainesville City Commission meeting helped ensure that the ordinance language remained intact, a significant win for our community.

Where Things Stand

While the ordinance language remains, the Commission also voted to sunset the current Curbside Food Waste Collection Pilot Program and to explore options for a future single-family food scrap composting program.

We support continued progress toward citywide composting, but we would have liked to see a plan in place for a new program before ending the existing one. The lack of a clear plan makes community advocacy more important than ever as we work toward sustainable and cost-effective composting solutions.

Our Ongoing Commitment

Zero Waste Gainesville will continue to advocate for strong composting programs, monitor city-level actions, and inform the community when important items are up for discussion. We’ll keep engaging residents who want to help build the next generation of zero waste programs in Gainesville.

Thank You, Gainesville!

We’re deeply grateful for this community’s commitment and persistence.

Thank you for all you do to move Gainesville toward a Zero Waste future!

Zero Waste Gainesville is regularly engaged with City and County Commissioners and staff to provide recommendations and feedback on Zero Waste policy. We keep citizens informed of key local ordinances and activities that involve sustainable waste management, and provide information through our newsletter and social media on how the community can be involved and advocate for Zero Waste. Together, our community has made great strides towards our Zero Waste goals. Here are a few past accomplishments:

• The City has drafted important updates to the Solid Waste Ordinance that establishes a reuse program, bans single-use plastic on city property, improves recycling across the city, and creates a prescription take-back service. The first reading of the ordinance passed unanimously on May 5, 2022.

• The City has drafted a food waste ordinance and food diversion ordinance to ensure edible food is provided to those who need it and establishes residential and business composting. The first reading of the ordinance passed unanimously on May 5, 2022.

• The City and County co-developed the Zero Waste Strategy Report.

• The City and County have hired Sustainability Managers that move local government forward with Zero Waste.

• The City passed an ordinance to ban plastic straws and stirrers which went into effect January 2020.

Curious about what other cities are doing? Eco-Cycle Solutions is a great resource for information about Zero Waste. Click the map below to learn about Zero Waste policies passed by communities around the country. 

Partnerships

Zero Waste Gainesville is proud to partner with the following agencies and organizations:

• The Repurpose Project

• Life Unplastic

• The City of Gainesville

• Alachua County

• Beaten Path Compost

• Sierra Club Suwannee - St. Johns Group

• We Are Neutral

• NAACP Environmental and Climate Justice Committee

• Working Food

• Current Problems

• Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo