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Waste Reduction

For SamTrans, waste means inefficiency. Current District initiatives are focused on minimizing and diverting waste, and empowering employees to support this vision.

SamTrans’ waste footprint is relatively small and primarily consists of municipal waste from office activities, low-impact maintenance activities, and passengers. Even so, the District continues to look for ways to reduce waste, improve diversion, and encourage more sustainable everyday practices.

Any successful waste diversion program relies on buy-in and participation: a recycling system only works if it’s used properly. Over this reporting period, staff further promoting waste reduction best practices through employee outreach and special events. In November 2023, SamTrans hosted America Recycles Day events to help employees better understand opportunities to reduce their waste footprint at work and at home. The events emphasized the three R’s: reduce, reuse, and recycle. Specifically, stressing the hierarchy of reducing and reusing materials first, with recycling, composting, and landfill disposal as an option of last resort.

Transferring Waste

SamTrans-generated waste includes common materials from passengers and employees, such as paper, food scraps, bottles, cans, and other recyclables. Waste is generated primarily through typical office activities, passenger use, and low-impact maintenance activities. Emissions from waste sent to landfill are included in this inventory, but construction and demolition waste from discrete capital projects is accounted for by the vendor performing the work, and therefore not captured in the graph below.

Waste and diversion (recycling and composting) rates are estimated through invoices from SamTrans' waste service providers. For the purposes of this inventory, SamTrans assumes that all landfill, recycling, and organics collection containers are 80% full when serviced. While the District’s estimates are based on container size and pickup frequency rather than actual weight, this information helps inform general waste trends. These assumptions may overstate the actual amount of waste generated and diverted but it is the best estimate available for SamTrans’ current service type at this time.

Finally, as a result of increased engagement and communication throughout the organization, staff have identified a number of existing nonstandard recycling streams not currently captured. One example is SamTrans’ tire management program, which prioritizes extending tire life through preventive maintenance, tire rotation practices, and retreading when feasible. Non-serviceable tires are disposed of through approved facilities in accordance with applicable state and federal regulations. Programs to prevent the landfilling of scrap metal, used batteries, tires, and retired vehicles signal a higher overall organizational diversion rate and speak to the culture of sustainability. Immediate future steps are securing regular access to these data sources and incorporating into the District’s waste inventory. Combined, this comprehensive accounting along with regular outreach will support both greater diversion and less overall disposal for SamTrans.

Diversion

Total of landfill, composting and recycling. 53% of total waste diverted as recycling or compost in 2022.

The figure presents total landfilled, recycled, and composted waste by fiscal year as bars. The total diversion rate, measured as the percentage of total waste diverted as recycling or compost, is shown as a black line.

In FY2025, SamTrans generated approximately 1173 tons of waste and achieved a diversion rate of approximately 45%.

Go Further: View Waste and Diversion Annual Data

Total landfilled, recycled, and composted waste as bars per fiscal year. The total diversion rate, measured as the percentage of total waste diverted as recycling or compost, is shown as a black line.

In FY2025, SamTrans generated approximately 629 tons of waste and achieved a diversion rate of approximately 32%. Waste generation has decreased compared to earlier inventory years, but diversion remains below pre-pandemic levels. SamTrans continues to promote waste reduction best practices through employee engagement, recycling education, and events such as America Recycles Day.

Waste Disposal by Type