Ruth Abbe is a grassroots leader and Zero Waste practitioner with more than 25 years of experience in recycling and composting program and facility development and outreach and technical assistance.

As president of Zero Waste USA, she is working with communities across the U.S. to develop the social and physical infrastructure to achieve Zero Waste. She has expertise in organics and commercial technical assistance, waste audits, facility and collection procurement, contract negotiation, program planning, financial analysis and stakeholder engagement. Ruth has developed Zero Waste plans and programs for Austin, Texas, Baltimore, Maryland, Boston, Massachusetts, Los Angeles, California, San Francisco, California, and Washington, D.C.