Fort Collins is Quickly Becoming a ‘Zero Waste’ Community [VIDEO]

I've always believed in recycling.  When I was a kid, we had a can-crusher in our garage that I used to play with like a toy.  So I've also always appreciated living somewhere as green-minded as Fort Collins.  That's why I feel like this news is so great!

Back in 1999, Fort Collins set a goal to divert at least 50% of its waste away from landfills. Today, according to the Coloradoan, that goal has been met for all intents and purposes; and it could be closer to 90% within the next few years!

A planning effort called Zero Waste Fort Collins was recently started to discover whether residents and businesses are willing to work towards a "zero-waste" status.

The goal wouldn’t be to eliminate all waste, as the word “zero” implies, but to get “pretty darn close” and to view discarded materials as resources that shouldn’t be thrown away, said Gary Liss of Zero Waste Associates, a consulting firm hired to assist the city with the planning process.

“The message is it’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey,” he said. “When you are designing for zero, you’re looking at everything and you’re trying to figure out why is it being wasted in the first place.”

[via The Coloradoan.]

Personally, I'm all for this.  I don't mind separating out my cardboard from the rest of my trash, if it means my kids (someday) can live in a clean, healthy community.

What do you think? Should Fort Collins shoot for being a Zero Waste city?