The Trash Problem in National Parks
Tips to Reduce Your Footprint on Protected Lands, By Olivia Young
Aug 17, 2021 2:25 PM ET
Originally published by Treehugger
Yosemite has been working to reduce its waste through recycling (since 1975), composting (since at least 2009), and decades of education. In 2015, as a result of improved recycling infrastructure and "renewed efforts at visitor education," the park recorded its lowest number of bear incidents: 76. The following year, it announced the Zero Landfill Initiative with Subaru of America, the National Parks Conservation Association, and the Yosemite Conservancy. The initiative set out to divert 80% of its waste from the landfill by the end of 2017. Today, it diverts about 60%.
