$777,986 awarded to nonprofits, 1,732 city staff trained on Zero Waste principles, 9.2 million pounds of recovered food, 191 businesses provided with free reusable foodware, 7,260 city-owned items reused, 346 residential items repaired, 17,000 tons of construction and debris material diverted from landfill, 28,000 lbs free compost given away

Free compost giveaways

SFE gives free, high-quality organic compost to SF residents at giveaway events throughout the year. This compost is made from the material discarded in green bins, helps residents grow their own food, and saves valuable resources from ending up in the landfill.


Free fix-it clinics

Fix-it clinics are community gatherings where skilled volunteers or contracted repair coaches guide you in repairing your items.

SF Environment currently offers free repair for clothing and bikes:

Clothing repair: If your favorite pair of pants or jacket has a tear or a loose stitch, bring it in and get paired with a repair coach who will teach you how to sew, darn, and fix it. Expert sewers assist with fixing clothing, jackets, gloves, socks, and other items.

Bike repair: Expert bike repair coaches will demonstrate how to perform basic bike tune-ups and keep your bike running smoothly. Get help patching a flat tire, adjust brakes and gears, and learn how to replace broken or worn-out parts like chains and tires.


Free reusable produce bag giveaways

SFE gives away free produce bags to residents at farmers markets. From July 2023 to June 2024, SFE distributed 775 reusable produce bags between two farmers markets. 

Sign up for the SFE newsletter to be informed of the next bag giveaway event.


Nonprofit grants

Free reusable foodware for cafes and restaurants

SFE helps qualified small businesses reduce single-use foodware and accessories by switching to reusable foodware items like utensils, plates, cups, and other items. The City offers up to $700 to cover these costs and can save businesses $3,000-$20,000 per year.

Over 200 small businesses have applied for the reusable foodware grant, made the switch to reusables, and saved money.


Free reusable foodware for large institutions

Reusable Service Providers offer a solution for businesses that want to make the switch from single-use food packaging to reusable beverage and food ware with washing services for dine-in, take-out, meal/grocery delivery, or events.

SFE and ReThink Disposable worked with three iconic San Francisco music venues to switch to reusable cups through reusable cup providers r.World and TURN. These reuse services provided inventory management, collection, washing, and sanitizing of used foodware, as well as redistribution of clean foodware. Through this program, the three music venues were able to collectively save over 280,000 single-use cups. Read more about the results in this case study.

  • From May 2023 to 2024, the Warfield eliminated 138,000 single-use cups
  • From June 2023 to 2024, August Hall eliminated 53,000 single-use cups
  • From August 2023 to June 2024, the Fillmore eliminated 97,000 single-use cups
  • This equates to around 4,360 pounds of waste diverted from landfill

Entertainment venues, hotels, health facilities, schools, malls, and other large institutions can apply for a reusable foodware grant offering up to $5,000 to spend on reusable food service ware or contract with a reusable service provider.

SFE provided over $25,000 of direct funding to small restaurants, cafes, school, non-profit organizations to switch to reusable foodware last fiscal year July 2023-June 2024. 

  • Fiscal year (FY) 2022: $27,800
  • FY22-FY23: $15,700 (small businesses) + $39,600 (institutions)
  • FY23-FY24: $33,400 (small businesses) + $10,500 (institutions)

 

Food recovery

Senate Bill 1383 began in 2022 and requires large food generator to donate surplus food to local food recovery organizations and services and track the pounds of food recovered. The City and County of San Francisco has adopted its own Mandatory Edible Food Recovery Ordinance (Environment Code Chapter 32) that specifies local requirements and includes penalties for non-compliant entities.

SFE monitors food recovery activity and provides education and technical assistance to reduce food waste, feed hungry San Franciscans, and protect the environment.

Breakdown of edible surplus food recovered through SB1383 and the Mandatory Edible Food Recovery Ordinance:

  • 2023: 4,263,788 pounds
  • 2022: 4,969,279.7 pounds
  • Total since the start of SB 1383: 9,233,067.7 pounds

Resource Recovery In San Francisco, the Construction and Demolition Debris Recovery Ordinance (Ch. 14) was passed in 2006. 

C&D debris comprises about one-half of all solid waste generated and one-quarter of all material disposed. The C&D debris that does not go through a recovery process ends up illegally disposed or at illegal dumping sites. The Environment Department is responsible for the oversight of compliant material recovery with benefits including:

  • Enhance enforcement and increase compliance with the Ordinance, which levels the playing field by decreasing the ability of non-compliant haulers to undercut compliant haulers/contractors during competitive bidding for jobs.
  • Create a healthier community and environment by increasing C&D debris recovery while reducing illegal dumping and illegal disposal.
  • Help San Francisco meet its Zero Waste and Climate goals.

Virtual warehouse program 

SF Environment’s Virtual Warehouse (VW) is an online reuse system for surplus goods submitted by San Francisco City Departments which facilitates the reuse, recycling, and proper disposal of surplus City materials. It is governed by the Surplus Disposal and Resource Conservation Ordinance. The program prevents valuable items from going to the landfill, saves money on purchasing and disposal costs, and supports San Francisco’s goal of zero waste.

Program achievements:

  • July 2004 to November 2024
    • Items redistributed: 213,972 items
    • Replacement cost: $12,396,318.82
      • An estimate of what it would have cost if an item was newly purchased.
    • Weight recovered: 1,788.43 tons
      • An estimate of weight diverted from the landfill by rehoming items.
  • July 2022 to June 2024
    • City Staff trained in Zero Waste practices: 2,732 staff

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