A Zero Waste City|廢物零排放城市|废物零排放城市|A Zero Waste City

I'm so proud of my hometown San Francisco for achieving this awesome feat! Hopefully they can influence other cities to do the same. Hong Kong is a small enough city that we could actually work towards becoming Asia's first zero waste city. Unfortunately the Hong Kong government prefers to waste time on what part of CY Leung's house is illegal. Of course there's a strong matter of principle but how much time and money are we wasting on this issue when there are more important and urgent matters for us to tackle? Let's get with it Hong Kong!Watch San Francisco on Track to Become Zero Waste City on PBS. See more from PBS NewsHour.Transcript:

SPENCER MICHELS: Each year, Americans throw away about 250 million tons of garbage. That's roughly four pounds per person per day.

You can find all manner of trash in a landfill, old bent music stands, plastic bags, and a lot of items that could have been recycled, like bottles and cardboard. Beyond the obvious blight they cause, landfills create environmental damage and emit harmful greenhouse gases. They are monuments to waste.

Those concerns have prompted San Francisco and a handful of other cities to aim for a once-unthinkable goal, zero waste.

In 2009, San Francisco became the first city in the country to require that residents and businesses alike separate from their trash compostable items, like food scraps, and recyclable goods, like paper, metals, and plastic, into separate bins.

And that has led to a big reduction in the amount of garbage headed to the landfill, according to San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee.

MAYOR ED LEE, San Francisco: We're proud of the 80 percent diversion rate, the highest in the country, certainly of any city in North America.

SPENCER MICHELS: Lee likes to talk garbage. He touts the fact that the city's recycling and composting law has helped the city keep 80 percent of its waste out of landfills. The national recycling average is just 35 percent. But Lee wants the city to go even further.

ED LEE: All of us, as part of our culture of living here in the Bay Area, have appreciated the goals of our environment and climate change and doing everything that we can.

And I think the 80 percent, we're not going to be satisfied with that, Spencer. We want 100 percent zero waste. This is where we're going.

SPENCER MICHELS: Is that possible?

ED LEE: I think it is. It is possible.

SPENCER MICHELS: What do you do with a plastic bag? You can't recycle that.

ED LEE: Well, we have banned plastic bags in the city.

San Francisco residents Sven Eberlein and Debra Baida think it's possible, too. They are avid recyclers and composters, so much so that they produce almost no trash. Baida lists what goes into the compost bin.

DEBRA BAIDA, San Francisco resident: We put the wrappers from our butter. We put any meat or packaged -- that kind of packaged paper food, soiled food wrappings like that, tissues, Q-tips, paper napkins, which we don't have in our home. If those come in, those go there. Soiled paper plates, milk cartons.

SVEN EBERLEIN, San Francisco resident: I go and travel somewhere, and I'm, you know, I have, like, eat an apple and where's the compost? You know, and I have to throw it in the trash, and it just doesn't feel quite right, you know.

SPENCER MICHELS: But not all San Franciscans are as enthusiastic as Eberlein and Baida. Those who refuse to sort their garbage can face fines ranging from $100 to $1,000.

WOMAN: So, we're just in the neighborhood trying to educate people on composting and recycling and answer any questions that you may have.

SPENCER MICHELS: Teams of workers from the city are knocking on doors of residents who, unbeknownst to them, have had their garbage cans inspected by auditors early in the morning. On the evening we followed along, outreach workers were visiting homes which had put items in the wrong bins.

WOMAN: We have noticed that there's been a lot of confusion about what goes in what bin, and so I'm here to offer any answers to any questions you may have.

WOMAN: I think we're pretty good with recycling. I guess, could you give me a rundown on what goes in composting?

WOMAN: If it was once alive and it's soil or food, then it is compostable.

WOMAN: OK.

SPENCER MICHELS: So far, only warnings have been given out. No fines have been imposed yet. And city officials say the move toward zero waste is catching on.

San Francisco's 80-year-old private garbage company, which recently invented a new name for itself, Recology, has been investing in recycling and composting facilities, and trying to change San Franciscans' perceptions of their garbage.

NARRATOR: Where some see garbage, Recology sees opportunity. Working together, we have helped make San Francisco America's greenest city.

MIKE SANGIACOMO, Recology: The biggest remaining fraction after we began recycling of the San Francisco waste stream was food waste.

SPENCER MICHELS: CEO and president Mike Sangiacomo took us on a tour of Recology's sprawling 22-acre composting facility northeast of San Francisco.

MIKE SANGIACOMO: In terms of food waste composting, this is as good as it gets. We're creating a product that can be used on the soil to replenish nutrients that growing food crops take out of the soil.

SPENCER MICHELS: Food scraps and yard clippings brought here, some 400 tons a day, are turned into rich compost that is now being used by vineyards in Napa and Sonoma. In the rest of the nation, where composting is a rarity, 97 percent of food waste is disposed of in landfills, and that causes environmental problems, according to regional EPA director Jared Blumenfeld.

JARED BLUMENFELD, Environmental Protection Agency: About half the food we buy from the supermarket ends up going into the landfill. That's unacceptable.

The stuff that rots and smells produces methane, which is a very, very potent greenhouse gas. And even if there's a cover on the top of just soil and stuff, that goes into the atmosphere and is really contributing in a large way to climate change issues.

SPENCER MICHELS: Beyond the environmental benefits of moving toward zero waste, Recology and city officials point to another perk: jobs.

At Recology's massive recycling center, which has been inundated the weeks after the holidays, 186 jobs have been created over the past 10 years.

Most of the sorting is done here by hand. Workers separate plastics, cardboard, cans and bottles, so they can be packaged and shipped to recycled material markets, mostly in Asia.

SPENCER MICHELS: For all the ballyhoo over San Francisco's recycling and composting programs, there are some skeptics. Some San Franciscans say that city officials haven't verified the rosy statistics.

QUENTIN KOPP, former California legislator: It's a myth. It's a bogus figure.

SPENCER MICHELS: Quentin Kopp, a former state and city senator, took part in an unsuccessful ballot effort last year to open the city's garbage contract to a competitive bidding process.

Kopp says Recology is inflating their recycling figures so they can boast that they are leading the nation.

QUENTIN KOPP: Yes, it is a good idea to recycle. It's also a good idea to be honest to the public about how much of the refuse and garbage in San Francisco is actually being recycled.

Nobody knows, except probably this company knows. They falsify the quantity. They falsify the type of material.

And it's part of a bogus scheme to inflate the amount of recycling done. And City Hall goes along with it, because it makes the politicians at City Hall look good.

SPENCER MICHELS: How do you know that 80 percent figure is accurate? Do you check it?

ED LEE: Yes, Spencer, we actually do. In fact, not only does our Department of the Environment go out and do audits. We actually have auditors that go out there and make sure that we're all in compliance with the way we measure it, and using the state standards and the state process to do it.

SPENCER MICHELS: So there's no doubt in your mind that the 80 percent is real?

ED LEE: Oh, no doubt at all, no doubt at all in my mind.

SPENCER MICHELS: Whatever the actual number is, recycling and composting don't come free.

Recology's Mike Sangiacomo:

MIKE SANGIACOMO: All of the services we provide are paid for by the customers whose material we're taking away.

SPENCER MICHELS: Are they paying more in rates because of all this recycling and composting than they would otherwise?

MIKE SANGIACOMO: I would bet they're paying a little more. But if you compare rates in the Bay Area, San Francisco vs. other communities, we're right in the middle of the pack. And we're doing a lot more recycling than any of the other communities.

SPENCER MICHELS: Residents currently pay about $28 a month for their trash bins. Recycling and composting bins are free.

But last month, Recology requested a rate increase, and for the first time wants to charge for composting and recycling bins, something the company says is necessary as the city moves toward eliminating its trash by 2020.

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對於我的家鄉舊金山致力於實現的這一壯舉，我深感自豪！非常希望此舉能影響更多的城市來參予其中。香港城市規模不算大，其實可以努力成為亞洲第一個廢物零排放城市。可惜的是，香港政府更樂意把時間浪費在推敲梁振英的房子哪部分是非法搭建的。誠然，這是重要的原則問題。可是現實中還有這麽多更為重要、更為緊迫的事情需要我們去解決。那麽我們還要浪費多少時間在這件事上呢？

香港，讓我們迎頭趕上吧！ Watch San Francisco on Track to Become Zero Waste City on PBS. See more from PBS NewsHour.播報日期：2013年1月25日

舊金山致力於成為廢物零排放城市

概要 (Summary)

舊金山正在嘗試成為第一個廢物零排放的城市。據“新聞時段”記者Spencer Michels報導，通過要求居民與工廠商戶對可堆肥廢棄物進行分類，如食物和可回收物品，這個城市已經大量減少了最終需要送往掩埋場的垃圾量。

(Transcript:)

HARI SREENIVASAN: 下面是一個關於垃圾的故事

全國垃圾量與日俱增，而舊金山卻在嘗試消滅所有垃圾。來看“新聞時段”記者Spencer Michels的報道。

SPENCER MICHELS: 每年，美國人要丟棄2億5千萬噸垃圾，大體上相當於每人每天制造4磅垃圾。

在掩埋場，你能看到各式各樣的垃圾：破舊彎折的樂譜架，塑料袋，以及許多原本可以回收利用的物品，例如瓶子和紙皮。除了那些顯而易見的破壞，垃圾掩埋場也造成了對環境的損害，並且釋放出引發溫室效應的有害氣體。掩埋場堪稱是垃圾的遺跡。

這些擔憂促使舊金山以及其他眾多城市開始著眼於一個在從前看來是不可想象的目標：廢物零排放。

2009年，舊金山成為國內第一個要求全民參予垃圾分類的城市。其居民與企業商家被要求將其垃圾中的可堆肥垃圾 - 如廢棄的食物，以及可循環使用的物品 – 如廢紙、金屬，還有塑料，分類放置到不同的垃圾桶。舊金山市長李孟賢說，這個舉措使得需要送往掩埋場的垃圾量大幅減少了。

舊金山市長李孟賢：對於百分之八十的垃圾轉換率我們深感自豪。這是全國最高的，當然也是整個北美洲最高的。

SPENCER MICHELS: 李市長喜歡垃圾這個話題。他力捧該市的回收及堆肥法令，這些法令使該市得以減少80%的垃圾掩埋量。而全國的平均垃圾回用率只有35%。但是，李市長希望該市能走得更遠。

李孟賢：作為舊金山灣區生活文化的組成部分，我們所有市民都贊成這些環境及控制氣候變化的目標，並盡其所能地為之努力。

而對於這個80%，Spencer, 我想我們是不會滿足的。我們希望做到百分之百的廢物零排放。 這就是我們眼下的目標。

 

SPENCER MICHELS: 這可能實現嗎？

李孟賢：我想是的。這是可以實現的。

SPENCER MICHELS: 塑料袋你們怎麽處理呢？這類東西沒法回用。

李孟賢：這個嘛，舊金山市早就禁用塑料袋了。

舊金山居民Sven Eberlein 和 Debra Baida 同樣認為這是可行的目標。他們是殷切的廢品回收利用和堆肥倡導者。他們的家庭幾乎沒有廢品產生。Baida列舉了可以放入堆肥垃圾桶的物品。

DEBRA BAIDA，舊金山居民：象黃油紙，肉品和其他食品的包裝紙，弄臟的包裝紙什麽的。 還有紙巾呀、棉簽、餐巾紙 – 這些我們家裏是沒有的，要是有的話，也會丟到裏頭。還有弄臟的紙碟、牛奶紙盒。

SVEN EBERLEIN，舊金山居民：我到其他地方旅行的時候，你知道，有時總要吃個蘋果什麽的，可是堆肥垃圾桶在哪裏？你知道，我只好把吃剩的蘋果核丟進垃圾堆。要知道，這樣做我感覺很不好。

SPENCER MICHELS: 不過可不是每一位舊金山人都象Eberlein and Baida那樣積極。未能進行垃圾分類的人將被處以100 至1000美金的罰款。

女工作人員：我們就在街坊開展工作，教育人們進行廢品回收以及堆肥，並回答大家的所有疑難問題。

SPENCER MICHELS: 早上，在其不知情的情況下，居民的垃圾桶會有審核員來抽查。而後，市裏的工作隊會上門造訪這些被抽查過的人家。有一天晚上，我們跟隨工作隊進行采訪， 外展的工作人員正在拜訪把垃圾放錯位置的住戶。

女工作人員：我們註意到許多人搞不清什麽東西該放在哪個垃圾桶裏。所以我到這裏來解答你們的疑問。

女居民：我覺得對於廢品回收我們做得不錯。我想，你能否給概括一下哪些是應該用作堆肥的呢？

女工作人員：各類生物性質的東西，食物什麽的，都是可以堆肥的。

女居民：明白了。

SPENCER MICHELS: 目前，對於違規的行為，實際只采取了警告的處罰措施，尚未實施罰款。該市官員表示，廢物零排放的舉措正被越來越多人理解與接受。

舊金山市有著80年歷史的、近日剛更名為“回生態”的私營廢品公司，已投資了廢品回收設備與堆肥設備，準備著手改變舊金山人對於垃圾的認識。

敘事者：有些人的眼中所看到的垃圾，“回生態”看到的卻是機會。 在大家的共同努力下，我們幫助舊金山市成為了全美最為環保的城市。

“回生態”公司，MIKE SANGIACOMO：在我們開始負責舊金山市的廢物流回收後，最大的殘余部分是廢棄食品。

SPENCER MICHELS: CEO兼董事長Mike Sangiacomo 帶我們參觀了“回生態”公司位於舊金山市東北部的、占地22英畝的堆肥廠。

MIKE SANGIACOMO: 就廢棄食品堆肥作業而言，我們的工作可謂是盡善盡美。我們利用堆肥制造出一種產品，可用來給莊稼地補充營養素，從而有助於莊稼的生長。

SPENCER MICHELS: 每天運到這裏的廢棄食品以及農耕垃圾約有400噸。它們都被變成肥沃的堆肥，現在用於納帕和索諾瑪的葡萄園。而在堆肥作業尚屬罕見的美國其他地區，97%的食品垃圾被轉移至掩埋場。地區環境保護局理事Jared Blumenfeld說，這帶來了許多環境問題。

地區環境保護局理事Jared Blumenfeld：我們從超市買來的食品約有一半最終被丟進了垃圾掩埋場。這是無法接受的。

那些會腐爛發臭的東西會產生甲烷，這是非常非常強效的溫室效應氣體。即使在這些東西上加蓋掩體，這些物質依然會進入大氣，而後很大程度上引發氣候問題。

SPENCER MICHELS: 在邁向廢物零排放的進程中，除了這些環境效益，“回生態”以及市政官員還指出另一個額外收益：工作機會。

在節假日後的數周裏，垃圾幾乎淹沒了“回生態”公司巨大的回收中心。這裏在過去的十年間提供了186個工作機會。

多數分揀是手工完成的。工人們將塑料、紙皮、空罐以及空瓶分揀，以便分類包裝，並運往大多位於亞洲的廢品回收市場。

SPENCER MICHELS: 在舊金山市大力宣傳其回收與堆肥計劃的過程中，不乏一些懷疑者。 一些舊金山市民說市政官員們未曾查證過那些樂觀的數據。

前加利福尼亞立法官，QUENTIN KOPP：這簡直是神話。這數據是虛構的。

SPENCER MICHELS: Quentin Kopp，前州參議員和市參議員，去年參與了一次未獲通過的投票。此舉意在將該市的垃圾處理合約開放，進行競價招標。

Kopp認為“回生態”公司有意誇大其回收數據，目的是為了鼓吹自己在全國的領先地位。

QUENTIN KOPP: 沒錯，回收利用是個好理念。而對公眾誠信更是一個好理念。應該向公眾坦誠相告舊金山市的廢品和垃圾究竟有多少真正得以回收利用。

可能除了這家公司，誰也不知道。他們捏造廢品數量，歪曲廢品類型。

誇大回收率也是偽造計劃的一部分。而市城廳也與其同流合汙，因為這讓市政廳的政客們臉上有光。

SPENCER MICHELS: 您如何知道80%這一數據是精確無誤的呢？您是否核實過？

李孟賢：是的，Spencer, 我們的確核實過。事實上，不僅僅是我們的環境部門會對這些工作進行審核， 我們還另有審核員來作審核，以確保我們的測算方式準確，並且遵循國家標準與流程。

SPENCER MICHELS: 所以在您心裏80%是毋庸置疑的了？

李孟賢：噢，根本毋庸置疑。

SPENCER MICHELS: 無論實際數據如何，回收利用與堆肥都不是免費午餐。

“回生態”公司的 Mike Sangiacomo: 我們提供的服務都由委托我們處理其垃圾的客戶付費。

SPENCER MICHELS: 他們為這些回收及堆肥處理所支付的費用是否高於采用其他處理方式？

MIKE SANGIACOMO: 我敢肯定費用要略高。但如果將舊金山灣區的費用與其他公司的費用對比，我們正好處於居中的水平。何況我們的回收率高於其他任何公司。

SPENCER MICHELS: 目前，對於垃圾桶的使用，市民們每月支付28美元。而回收桶與堆肥桶是免費的。

但是上個月，“回生態”申請提價，並且首次提出了要對堆肥桶和回收桶進行收費。該公司表示，隨著該市向2020年消滅垃圾的目標邁進，這是非常必要的。

HARI SREENIVASAN: Spencer 回顧了這次針對垃圾的調查任務，思考了他的城市采取的減少廢物的舉措，以及在幕後起作用的財務因素。我們的網站上有他的相關博客。

香港，让我们迎头赶上吧！ Video: http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNTA4Njk5OTYw.html播报日期：2013年1月25日

旧金山致力于成为废物零排放城市

概要 (Summary)

旧金山正在尝试成为第一个废物零排放的城市。据“新闻时段”记者Spencer Michels报导，通过要求居民与工厂商户对可堆肥废弃物进行分类，如食物和可回收物品，这个城市已经大量减少了最终需要送往掩埋场的垃圾量。

(Transcript:)

HARI SREENIVASAN: 下面是一个关于垃圾的故事

全国垃圾量与日俱增，而旧金山却在尝试消灭所有垃圾。来看“新闻时段”记者Spencer Michels的报道。

SPENCER MICHELS: 每年，美国人要丢弃2亿5千万吨垃圾，大体上相当于每人每天制造4磅垃圾。

在掩埋场，你能看到各式各样的垃圾：破旧弯折的乐谱架，塑料袋，以及许多原本可以回收利用的物品，例如瓶子和纸皮。除了那些显而易见的破坏，垃圾掩埋场也造成了对环境的损害，并且释放出引发温室效应的有害气体。掩埋场堪称是垃圾的遗迹。

这些担忧促使旧金山以及其他众多城市开始着眼于一个在从前看来是不可想象的目标：废物零排放。

2009年，旧金山成为国内第一个要求全民参予垃圾分类的城市。其居民与企业商家被要求将其垃圾中的可堆肥垃圾 - 如废弃的食物，以及可循环使用的物品 – 如废纸、金属，还有塑料，分类放置到不同的垃圾桶。旧金山市长李孟贤说，这个举措使得需要送往掩埋场的垃圾量大幅减少了。

旧金山市长李孟贤：对于百分之八十的垃圾转换率我们深感自豪。这是全国最高的，当然也是整个北美洲最高的。

SPENCER MICHELS: 李市长喜欢垃圾这个话题。他力捧该市的回收及堆肥法令，这些法令使该市得以减少80%的垃圾掩埋量。而全国的平均垃圾回用率只有35%。但是，李市长希望该市能走得更远。

李孟贤：作为旧金山湾区生活文化的组成部分，我们所有市民都赞成这些环境及控制气候变化的目标，并尽其所能地为之努力。

而对于这个80%，Spencer, 我想我们是不会满足的。我们希望做到百分之百的废物零排放。 这就是我们眼下的目标。

 

SPENCER MICHELS: 这可能实现吗？

李孟贤：我想是的。这是可以实现的。

SPENCER MICHELS: 塑料袋你们怎么处理呢？这类东西没法回用。

李孟贤：这个嘛，旧金山市早就禁用塑料袋了。

旧金山居民Sven Eberlein 和 Debra Baida 同样认为这是可行的目标。他们是殷切的废品回收利用和堆肥倡导者。他们的家庭几乎没有废品产生。Baida列举了可以放入堆肥垃圾桶的物品。

DEBRA BAIDA，旧金山居民：象黄油纸，肉品和其他食品的包装纸，弄脏的包装纸什么的。 还有纸巾呀、棉签、餐巾纸 – 这些我们家里是没有的，要是有的话，也会丢到里头。还有弄脏的纸碟、牛奶纸盒。

SVEN EBERLEIN，旧金山居民：我到其他地方旅行的时候，你知道，有时总要吃个苹果什么的，可是堆肥垃圾桶在哪里？你知道，我只好把吃剩的苹果核丢进垃圾堆。要知道，这样做我感觉很不好。

SPENCER MICHELS: 不过可不是每一位旧金山人都象Eberlein and Baida那样积极。未能进行垃圾分类的人将被处以100 至1000美金的罚款。

女工作人员：我们就在街坊开展工作，教育人们进行废品回收以及堆肥，并回答大家的所有疑难问题。

SPENCER MICHELS: 早上，在其不知情的情况下，居民的垃圾桶会有审核员来抽查。而后，市里的工作队会上门造访这些被抽查过的人家。有一天晚上，我们跟随工作队进行采访， 外展的工作人员正在拜访把垃圾放错位置的住户。

女工作人员：我们注意到许多人搞不清什么东西该放在哪个垃圾桶里。所以我到这里来解答你们的疑问。

女居民：我觉得对于废品回收我们做得不错。我想，你能否给概括一下哪些是应该用作堆肥的呢？

女工作人员：各类生物性质的东西，食物什么的，都是可以堆肥的。

女居民：明白了。

SPENCER MICHELS: 目前，对于违规的行为，实际只采取了警告的处罚措施，尚未实施罚款。该市官员表示，废物零排放的举措正被越来越多人理解与接受。

旧金山市有着80年历史的、近日刚更名为“回生态”的私营废品公司，已投资了废品回收设备与堆肥设备，准备着手改变旧金山人对于垃圾的认识。

叙事者：有些人的眼中所看到的垃圾，“回生态”看到的却是机会。 在大家的共同努力下，我们帮助旧金山市成为了全美最为环保的城市。

“回生态”公司，MIKE SANGIACOMO：在我们开始负责旧金山市的废物流回收后，最大的残余部分是废弃食品。

SPENCER MICHELS: CEO兼董事长Mike Sangiacomo 带我们参观了“回生态”公司位于旧金山市东北部的、占地22英亩的堆肥厂。

MIKE SANGIACOMO: 就废弃食品堆肥作业而言，我们的工作可谓是尽善尽美。我们利用堆肥制造出一种产品，可用来给庄稼地补充营养素，从而有助于庄稼的生长。

SPENCER MICHELS: 每天运到这里的废弃食品以及农耕垃圾约有400吨。它们都被变成肥沃的堆肥，现在用于纳帕和索诺玛的葡萄园。而在堆肥作业尚属罕见的美国其他地区，97%的食品垃圾被转移至掩埋场。地区环境保护局理事Jared Blumenfeld说，这带来了许多环境问题。

地区环境保护局理事Jared Blumenfeld：我们从超市买来的食品约有一半最终被丢进了垃圾掩埋场。这是无法接受的。

那些会腐烂发臭的东西会产生甲烷，这是非常非常强效的温室效应气体。即使在这些东西上加盖掩体，这些物质依然会进入大气，而后很大程度上引发气候问题。

SPENCER MICHELS: 在迈向废物零排放的进程中，除了这些环境效益，“回生态”以及市政官员还指出另一个额外收益：工作机会。

在节假日后的数周里，垃圾几乎淹没了“回生态”公司巨大的回收中心。这里在过去的十年间提供了186个工作机会。

多数分拣是手工完成的。工人们将塑料、纸皮、空罐以及空瓶分拣，以便分类包装，并运往大多位于亚洲的废品回收市场。

SPENCER MICHELS: 在旧金山市大力宣传其回收与堆肥计划的过程中，不乏一些怀疑者。 一些旧金山市民说市政官员们未曾查证过那些乐观的数据。

前加利福尼亚立法官，QUENTIN KOPP：这简直是神话。这数据是虚构的。

SPENCER MICHELS: Quentin Kopp，前州参议员和市参议员，去年参与了一次未获通过的投票。此举意在将该市的垃圾处理合约开放，进行竞价招标。

Kopp认为“回生态”公司有意夸大其回收数据，目的是为了鼓吹自己在全国的领先地位。

QUENTIN KOPP: 没错，回收利用是个好理念。而对公众诚信更是一个好理念。应该向公众坦诚相告旧金山市的废品和垃圾究竟有多少真正得以回收利用。

可能除了这家公司，谁也不知道。他们捏造废品数量，歪曲废品类型。

夸大回收率也是伪造计划的一部分。而市城厅也与其同流合污，因为这让市政厅的政客们脸上有光。

SPENCER MICHELS: 您如何知道80%这一数据是精确无误的呢？您是否核实过？

李孟贤：是的，Spencer, 我们的确核实过。事实上，不仅仅是我们的环境部门会对这些工作进行审核， 我们还另有审核员来作审核，以确保我们的测算方式准确，并且遵循国家标准与流程。

SPENCER MICHELS: 所以在您心里80%是毋庸置疑的了？

李孟贤：噢，根本毋庸置疑。

SPENCER MICHELS: 无论实际数据如何，回收利用与堆肥都不是免费午餐。

“回生态”公司的 Mike Sangiacomo: 我们提供的服务都由委托我们处理其垃圾的客户付费。

SPENCER MICHELS: 他们为这些回收及堆肥处理所支付的费用是否高于采用其他处理方式？

MIKE SANGIACOMO: 我敢肯定费用要略高。但如果将旧金山湾区的费用与其他公司的费用对比，我们正好处于居中的水平。何况我们的回收率高于其他任何公司。

SPENCER MICHELS: 目前，对于垃圾桶的使用，市民们每月支付28美元。而回收桶与堆肥桶是免费的。

但是上个月，“回生态”申请提价，并且首次提出了要对堆肥桶和回收桶进行收费。该公司表示，随着该市向2020年消灭垃圾的目标迈进，这是非常必要的。

HARI SREENIVASAN: Spencer 回顾了这次针对垃圾的调查任务，思考了他的城市采取的减少废物的举措，以及在幕后起作用的财务因素。我们的网站上有他的相关博客。|I'm so proud of my hometown San Francisco for achieving this awesome feat! Hopefully they can influence other cities to do the same. Hong Kong is a small enough city that we could actually work towards becoming Asia's first zero waste city. Unfortunately the Hong Kong government prefers to waste time on what part of CY Leung's house is illegal. Of course there's a strong matter of principle but how much time and money are we wasting on this issue when there are more important and urgent matters for us to tackle? Let's get with it Hong Kong!Watch San Francisco on Track to Become Zero Waste City on PBS. See more from PBS NewsHour.Transcript:

SPENCER MICHELS: Each year, Americans throw away about 250 million tons of garbage. That's roughly four pounds per person per day.

You can find all manner of trash in a landfill, old bent music stands, plastic bags, and a lot of items that could have been recycled, like bottles and cardboard. Beyond the obvious blight they cause, landfills create environmental damage and emit harmful greenhouse gases. They are monuments to waste.

Those concerns have prompted San Francisco and a handful of other cities to aim for a once-unthinkable goal, zero waste.

In 2009, San Francisco became the first city in the country to require that residents and businesses alike separate from their trash compostable items, like food scraps, and recyclable goods, like paper, metals, and plastic, into separate bins.

And that has led to a big reduction in the amount of garbage headed to the landfill, according to San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee.

MAYOR ED LEE, San Francisco: We're proud of the 80 percent diversion rate, the highest in the country, certainly of any city in North America.

SPENCER MICHELS: Lee likes to talk garbage. He touts the fact that the city's recycling and composting law has helped the city keep 80 percent of its waste out of landfills. The national recycling average is just 35 percent. But Lee wants the city to go even further.

ED LEE: All of us, as part of our culture of living here in the Bay Area, have appreciated the goals of our environment and climate change and doing everything that we can.

And I think the 80 percent, we're not going to be satisfied with that, Spencer. We want 100 percent zero waste. This is where we're going.

SPENCER MICHELS: Is that possible?

ED LEE: I think it is. It is possible.

SPENCER MICHELS: What do you do with a plastic bag? You can't recycle that.

ED LEE: Well, we have banned plastic bags in the city.

San Francisco residents Sven Eberlein and Debra Baida think it's possible, too. They are avid recyclers and composters, so much so that they produce almost no trash. Baida lists what goes into the compost bin.

DEBRA BAIDA, San Francisco resident: We put the wrappers from our butter. We put any meat or packaged -- that kind of packaged paper food, soiled food wrappings like that, tissues, Q-tips, paper napkins, which we don't have in our home. If those come in, those go there. Soiled paper plates, milk cartons.

SVEN EBERLEIN, San Francisco resident: I go and travel somewhere, and I'm, you know, I have, like, eat an apple and where's the compost? You know, and I have to throw it in the trash, and it just doesn't feel quite right, you know.

SPENCER MICHELS: But not all San Franciscans are as enthusiastic as Eberlein and Baida. Those who refuse to sort their garbage can face fines ranging from $100 to $1,000.

WOMAN: So, we're just in the neighborhood trying to educate people on composting and recycling and answer any questions that you may have.

SPENCER MICHELS: Teams of workers from the city are knocking on doors of residents who, unbeknownst to them, have had their garbage cans inspected by auditors early in the morning. On the evening we followed along, outreach workers were visiting homes which had put items in the wrong bins.

WOMAN: We have noticed that there's been a lot of confusion about what goes in what bin, and so I'm here to offer any answers to any questions you may have.

WOMAN: I think we're pretty good with recycling. I guess, could you give me a rundown on what goes in composting?

WOMAN: If it was once alive and it's soil or food, then it is compostable.

WOMAN: OK.

SPENCER MICHELS: So far, only warnings have been given out. No fines have been imposed yet. And city officials say the move toward zero waste is catching on.

San Francisco's 80-year-old private garbage company, which recently invented a new name for itself, Recology, has been investing in recycling and composting facilities, and trying to change San Franciscans' perceptions of their garbage.

NARRATOR: Where some see garbage, Recology sees opportunity. Working together, we have helped make San Francisco America's greenest city.

MIKE SANGIACOMO, Recology: The biggest remaining fraction after we began recycling of the San Francisco waste stream was food waste.

SPENCER MICHELS: CEO and president Mike Sangiacomo took us on a tour of Recology's sprawling 22-acre composting facility northeast of San Francisco.

MIKE SANGIACOMO: In terms of food waste composting, this is as good as it gets. We're creating a product that can be used on the soil to replenish nutrients that growing food crops take out of the soil.

SPENCER MICHELS: Food scraps and yard clippings brought here, some 400 tons a day, are turned into rich compost that is now being used by vineyards in Napa and Sonoma. In the rest of the nation, where composting is a rarity, 97 percent of food waste is disposed of in landfills, and that causes environmental problems, according to regional EPA director Jared Blumenfeld.

JARED BLUMENFELD, Environmental Protection Agency: About half the food we buy from the supermarket ends up going into the landfill. That's unacceptable.

The stuff that rots and smells produces methane, which is a very, very potent greenhouse gas. And even if there's a cover on the top of just soil and stuff, that goes into the atmosphere and is really contributing in a large way to climate change issues.

SPENCER MICHELS: Beyond the environmental benefits of moving toward zero waste, Recology and city officials point to another perk: jobs.

At Recology's massive recycling center, which has been inundated the weeks after the holidays, 186 jobs have been created over the past 10 years.

Most of the sorting is done here by hand. Workers separate plastics, cardboard, cans and bottles, so they can be packaged and shipped to recycled material markets, mostly in Asia.

SPENCER MICHELS: For all the ballyhoo over San Francisco's recycling and composting programs, there are some skeptics. Some San Franciscans say that city officials haven't verified the rosy statistics.

QUENTIN KOPP, former California legislator: It's a myth. It's a bogus figure.

SPENCER MICHELS: Quentin Kopp, a former state and city senator, took part in an unsuccessful ballot effort last year to open the city's garbage contract to a competitive bidding process.

Kopp says Recology is inflating their recycling figures so they can boast that they are leading the nation.

QUENTIN KOPP: Yes, it is a good idea to recycle. It's also a good idea to be honest to the public about how much of the refuse and garbage in San Francisco is actually being recycled.

Nobody knows, except probably this company knows. They falsify the quantity. They falsify the type of material.

And it's part of a bogus scheme to inflate the amount of recycling done. And City Hall goes along with it, because it makes the politicians at City Hall look good.

SPENCER MICHELS: How do you know that 80 percent figure is accurate? Do you check it?

ED LEE: Yes, Spencer, we actually do. In fact, not only does our Department of the Environment go out and do audits. We actually have auditors that go out there and make sure that we're all in compliance with the way we measure it, and using the state standards and the state process to do it.

SPENCER MICHELS: So there's no doubt in your mind that the 80 percent is real?

ED LEE: Oh, no doubt at all, no doubt at all in my mind.

SPENCER MICHELS: Whatever the actual number is, recycling and composting don't come free.

Recology's Mike Sangiacomo:

MIKE SANGIACOMO: All of the services we provide are paid for by the customers whose material we're taking away.

SPENCER MICHELS: Are they paying more in rates because of all this recycling and composting than they would otherwise?

MIKE SANGIACOMO: I would bet they're paying a little more. But if you compare rates in the Bay Area, San Francisco vs. other communities, we're right in the middle of the pack. And we're doing a lot more recycling than any of the other communities.

SPENCER MICHELS: Residents currently pay about $28 a month for their trash bins. Recycling and composting bins are free.

But last month, Recology requested a rate increase, and for the first time wants to charge for composting and recycling bins, something the company says is necessary as the city moves toward eliminating its trash by 2020.