Waste
GOAL: Become a zero-waste operating facility by 2035
Goal update
Baseline (2020): 41% diversion rate
2024: 47% diversion rate (47% of materials diverted away from the landfill)
Goal (2035): 90% diversion rate
Diversion from the landfill
Monterey Bay Aquarium has implemented a comprehensive range of sustainable waste management strategies. To read about them and learn about how you can get involved, visit our website.
Monterey Bay Aquarium is committed to reaching a 90% diversion rate, Net Zero Waste, by 2035. We are well on our way to reaching our goal and since originally measuring our diversion rate in 2020, we have increased our diversion rate from 41% to 47%.
The pie graph to the right depicts the diversion rate by material from 2023, when the percentage of waste diverted from the landfill was 44%.
Priority strategies
Convene a Waste Working Group
The group is responsible for evaluating and improving waste operations throughout the organization by identifying and implementing waste reduction initiatives within their teams and departments.
The group’s current focus is on diverting 30% of currently landfilled waste in the form of paper towels.
Focus specifically on eliminating all single-use plastic from our operations
We have already eliminated single-use plastics in our cafe and restaurant areas by replacing plastic straws, utensils, and cups with reusable or compostable alternatives made from paper fiber. We are also working with SSA Group to eliminate single-use and unnecessary plastic from the gift shop.
Complete periodic waste audits
The goal of waste audits is to assess and understand the generation and contamination of the waste at the Monterey Bay Aquarium through collecting, sorting, and analyzing the waste generated.
The Aquarium’s first waste audit was conducted in 2020 and consisted of a one day physical sort, a one day visual audit of waste containers, one week of bin fullness observations of all dumpsters and carts throughout campus, and data collection of compactor weights and service levels.
The Aquarium’s most recent waste audit was conducted in 2023 and was a more robust version of the 2020 audit in an effort to ascertain even more detailed results.
