Gary Liss is an international leader of Zero Waste policies and programs and has helped more communities develop Zero Waste plans than anyone else in the United States.  Zero Waste focuses on reducing and reusing discarded materials first, then recycling and composting the rest.

Mr. Liss is President of the U.S. Zero Waste Business Council, which is establishing a 3rd party certification program for Zero Waste Businesses.  He is a special Zero Waste advisor to the GrassRoots Recycling Network (GRRN) and a leader of ZERI in the U.S. He was a founder and past President of the National Recycling Coalition and was Solid Waste Manager for the City of San Jose, CA.  In San Jose, Mr. Liss developed their recycling programs into national models. He was Resource Recovery Director for the U.S. Conference of Mayors, and Assistant Administrator for Alternative Technology for the N.J. Department of Energy. He also was Executive Director of the California Resource Recovery Association.

Mr. Liss has documented Zero Waste Businesses, developed Zero Waste Business Principles, developed new Zero Waste Business Recognition Programs, and helped organize Zero In on Zero Waste business conferences. He helped write Zero Waste Plans for: Del Norte County, CA; Nelson, British Columbia; Palo Alto, CA; Oakland, CA; Burbank, CA; Glendale, CA; San Jose, CA; Los Angeles, CA; Oceanside, CA; Austin, TX; Telluride, CO.  He is now working on helping to implement Zero Waste in Santa Monica, CA and Newark, NJ and drafting a Zero Waste Community Planning e-guide for New England for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 

Mr. Liss is on the Planning Group for the Zero Waste International Alliance and chairs their Zero Waste Certification Committee.  He is also one of the founders of the California Sustainable Business Council.  In 2005, the Zero Emissions Research & Initiatives certified Mr. Liss as a ZERI Systems Designer.  Also in 2005, Mr. Liss was recognized for his leadership by being selected as the CRRA Recycler of the Year.