Zero Waste is the fourth largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in the City of Cupertino—and like all other sectors, Cupertino would like to reach net zero in this sector by 2040.

Waste management and waste diversion play an important part in the City's strategies to achieve this goal. Waste management refers to the collection, transportation, treatment, and disposal of waste materials—ideally in a way that is sustainable and produces the least amount of greenhouse gas emissions.

One way to do so is through waste diversion—providing alternative destinations for waste such as recycling and composting which reduce the amount of emissions that would have otherwise been generated by just sending the waste to a landfill.