In 2014, our goal was to make McMinnville the first city in Oregon to divert 90% of our waste from the landfill by 2024.​  We have revised our mission recently to recognize what four years of work has taught us. Our current vision is to help McMinnville become a sustainable community by providing programs and education to promote policies that eliminate waste. 

 

Zero Waste is a philosophy that encourages people to change their thinking about how resources are used and learn to stop sending everything as trash to the landfill or incinerator.  ​

​

Zero Waste is a goal that is ethical, economical, efficient and visionary. It guides people to modify their lifestyles and practices to emulate sustainable natural cycles, where all discarded materials are designed to become resources for others to use.

​

​Zero Waste means encouraging the design and management of products and processes to systematically avoid and eliminate the volume and toxicity of waste and materials, conserve and recover all resources, and not burn or bury them.

​

Implementing Zero Waste will eliminate all discharges to land, water or air that are a threat to planetary, human, animal or plant health.

​We provide educational and hands-on programs to organizations, schools, hospitals, event sponsors, and local government. We need the community to expand the Zero Waste message and programs.