From Waste to Worth

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The County is working to reduce waste and build a stronger, more sustainable region. Through From Waste to Worth: A Circular Economy for Regional Prosperity, we are exploring ways to keep materials in use, support local businesses, and create new opportunities for communities across the region. This project will look for ways to support local businesses, entrepreneurs, and community leadership through the lens of:

  • Sharing
  • Reusing
  • Repairing
  • Remanufacturing
  • Upcycling existing materials and products

A circular economy is a system where everything is reused and nothing is thrown away. Products and materials stay in use through practices like maintenance, reuse, recycling, and composting.

We want your ideas to help: support reuse, create local jobs, spur innovation, and build a stronger, more resilient community. Your insights will help us understand what works, what challenges exist, and where new opportunities lie. This will guide fair and practical recommendations for the region and the County.

Consultant Team: Buro Happold, MIG, Cumming Group, City Heights CDC

October 2026 Update

Following a baseline assessment that included evaluating how products move through the region from raw materials to their final lifecycle destination, next steps completed were researching policies and programs to identify gaps and opportunities by examining actions taken in other municipalities. With this, potential strategies for the region were ranked based on real‑world data and government examples, helping the County understand which actions offer the strongest potential for impact.

What We’ve Heard From You
Several common themes emerged through 12 initial interviews, four introductory public workshops, four sector-specific workshops, and 70 survey responses:

  • Space and infrastructure: lack of storage, sorting, repair, warehousing, and reuse hubs — especially in East and South County.
  • Workforce development: on-the job repair, textile skills, deconstruction training, and technical upskilling.
  • Policy clarity: simpler permitting pathways and regional consistency in regulations, labels, and recycling rules.
  • Extended Producer responsibility: clearer rules, better take-back systems, and upstream accountability.
  • Community-centered education: multilingual, culturally relevant, and problem-based learning.

Coming Next – Draft Roadmap: From Waste to Worth
The Roadmap brings together the baseline assessment and stakeholder input to identify strategies for the region in five themes: (1) governance, policy, and regulation; (2) financial mechanisms and market signals; (3) circular infrastructure; (4) research and innovation; and (5) communication, education, and culture change; and for four priority sectors:

  • Building materials
  • Plastics
  • Textiles
  • Cross-cutting sector for strategies that apply across multiple sectors

The Draft Roadmap will outline recommended actions for each priority sector, each including a summary description, local examples, implementation considerations for metrics/data points, possible partners, and global case studies.

How to Get Involved

  • Attend upcoming virtual session on 10/29 to learn more and offer feedback
  • Share the information about this effort with others
  • Provide input via public comment (anticipated for November) and ask questions using the tools on this page

The County is working to reduce waste and build a stronger, more sustainable region. Through From Waste to Worth: A Circular Economy for Regional Prosperity, we are exploring ways to keep materials in use, support local businesses, and create new opportunities for communities across the region. This project will look for ways to support local businesses, entrepreneurs, and community leadership through the lens of:

  • Sharing
  • Reusing
  • Repairing
  • Remanufacturing
  • Upcycling existing materials and products

A circular economy is a system where everything is reused and nothing is thrown away. Products and materials stay in use through practices like maintenance, reuse, recycling, and composting.

We want your ideas to help: support reuse, create local jobs, spur innovation, and build a stronger, more resilient community. Your insights will help us understand what works, what challenges exist, and where new opportunities lie. This will guide fair and practical recommendations for the region and the County.

Consultant Team: Buro Happold, MIG, Cumming Group, City Heights CDC

October 2026 Update

Following a baseline assessment that included evaluating how products move through the region from raw materials to their final lifecycle destination, next steps completed were researching policies and programs to identify gaps and opportunities by examining actions taken in other municipalities. With this, potential strategies for the region were ranked based on real‑world data and government examples, helping the County understand which actions offer the strongest potential for impact.

What We’ve Heard From You
Several common themes emerged through 12 initial interviews, four introductory public workshops, four sector-specific workshops, and 70 survey responses:

  • Space and infrastructure: lack of storage, sorting, repair, warehousing, and reuse hubs — especially in East and South County.
  • Workforce development: on-the job repair, textile skills, deconstruction training, and technical upskilling.
  • Policy clarity: simpler permitting pathways and regional consistency in regulations, labels, and recycling rules.
  • Extended Producer responsibility: clearer rules, better take-back systems, and upstream accountability.
  • Community-centered education: multilingual, culturally relevant, and problem-based learning.

Coming Next – Draft Roadmap: From Waste to Worth
The Roadmap brings together the baseline assessment and stakeholder input to identify strategies for the region in five themes: (1) governance, policy, and regulation; (2) financial mechanisms and market signals; (3) circular infrastructure; (4) research and innovation; and (5) communication, education, and culture change; and for four priority sectors:

  • Building materials
  • Plastics
  • Textiles
  • Cross-cutting sector for strategies that apply across multiple sectors

The Draft Roadmap will outline recommended actions for each priority sector, each including a summary description, local examples, implementation considerations for metrics/data points, possible partners, and global case studies.

How to Get Involved

  • Attend upcoming virtual session on 10/29 to learn more and offer feedback
  • Share the information about this effort with others
  • Provide input via public comment (anticipated for November) and ask questions using the tools on this page
  • CLOSED: This survey has concluded.

    From Waste to Worth: A Community Survey

    The County of San Diego is creating a regional roadmap to support a just and equitable shift to a circular economy. A circular economy means keeping materials and products in use for as long as possible through activities like reuse, repair, recycling, and remanufacturing. Visit the Ellen Macarthur Foundation to learn more about circular economy.

    We invite you to share your ideas to strengthen San Diego’s regional economy, reduce waste, and keep valuable materials in use. Your input will help identify opportunities to:

    • Expand infrastructure for reuse
    • Lower disposal costs
    • Create local jobs
    • Build a more resilient community


    The survey has up to 17 questions and takes about 10 minutes to complete. 

    Language and Accessibility Services 

    To take this survey in another language, use the gray Google Translate button at the top right of the page.

    If you need disability accommodations or would like to provide your feedback in an alternate format, please contact luke.lombardi@burohappold.com and provide your name and preferred contact method and we will connect with you. Alternatively, you may call 310-945-4859.

    Your input is appreciated! The survey will be open until July 31, 2026.

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Page last updated: 14 Oct 2026, 09:53 AM