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In a more perfect world, leftover food would find its way to the starving people in far-flung places that many parents scolded children about. Instead, as Roberto Ferdman at The Washington Post notes, "food waste has become a growing problem in cities across the United States—the country throws out more food than plastic, paper, metal, or glass."

One of the cities leading the charge in the effort to staunch food waste is Seattle, which passed a law last September that requires residents to compost leftover food. The law went into effect in January, but to educate Seattleites (which is, somehow, the demonym) the city is using a particularly aggressive method: shame.

If the city's waste-management contractors encounter a house, apartment, or commercial property with garbage containing more than 10 percent recyclables or food, they tag the garbage bins with a bright red sticker. "I'm sure neighbors are going to see these on their other neighbors' cans," one contractor told NPR earlier this week. "Right now, I'm tagging probably every fifth can."

"The stickers are like getting an 'F' on a school paper," one Seattle resident wrote in an email, adding that some craftier residents were simply using their garbage disposals more to skirt the law.

The sticker system is only temporary; in July, the city will begin fining households, landlords, and businesses for failing to sort food waste. Houses will be fined $1 per infraction, apartments and buildings paying $50. According to Seattle's Department of Public Utilities, "the food waste law will divert 38,000 tons of food scraps from the landfill via composting" as the city aims to recycle or compost 60 percent of its waste in 2015. Seattle's law is the first in the country to fine—and shame—residents for failing to sort their refuse.

kalm wrote:Grandma Kalm grew up during the Depression and spent her entire life living conservatively - never wasteful, no over consumption allowed. She composts her non-meat food waste and feeds the bones to the raccoons, recycles everything else. She visits the dump about 3 times per year. Smart, efficient way to responsibly take care of the planet that requires very little effort.

In a more perfect world, leftover food would find its way to the starving people in far-flung places that many parents scolded children about. Instead, as Roberto Ferdman at The Washington Post notes, "food waste has become a growing problem in cities across the United States—the country throws out more food than plastic, paper, metal, or glass."

One of the cities leading the charge in the effort to staunch food waste is Seattle, which passed a law last September that requires residents to compost leftover food. The law went into effect in January, but to educate Seattleites (which is, somehow, the demonym) the city is using a particularly aggressive method: shame.

If the city's waste-management contractors encounter a house, apartment, or commercial property with garbage containing more than 10 percent recyclables or food, they tag the garbage bins with a bright red sticker. "I'm sure neighbors are going to see these on their other neighbors' cans," one contractor told NPR earlier this week. "Right now, I'm tagging probably every fifth can."

"The stickers are like getting an 'F' on a school paper," one Seattle resident wrote in an email, adding that some craftier residents were simply using their garbage disposals more to skirt the law.

The sticker system is only temporary; in July, the city will begin fining households, landlords, and businesses for failing to sort food waste. Houses will be fined $1 per infraction, apartments and buildings paying $50. According to Seattle's Department of Public Utilities, "the food waste law will divert 38,000 tons of food scraps from the landfill via composting" as the city aims to recycle or compost 60 percent of its waste in 2015. Seattle's law is the first in the country to fine—and shame—residents for failing to sort their refuse.

http://www.theatlantic.com/national/arc ... st/384896/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

HI54UNI wrote:Serious question - how does your trash system work? Do you pay $x per month and you can set out as much trash as you want? Or do you have a certain size container that you can fill each week? Do they have some kind of pay as you throw system - the more you put out the more you pay? Do they have curbside recycling collection?

Since I was involved in solid waste issues in my last job I find this interesting. We implemented a pay as you throw system and our solid waste tonnage dropped 22% because it got more people to recycle.