San Francisco goes green with compost trash cans
On October, 21, 2009, San Francisco, one of the most environmentally forward cities in the country, put a law into effect with requires its citizens to not only own a green compost can but to use it properly. According to an article by SFGate.com about the new law residences and businesses could be fined $100-$1000 after continually neglecting to dispose their waste according to San Francisco standards.
But don’t sweat it, officials say that tickets will not be not be given out the first few months and then in the beginning, only to those who have still yet to own a green compost bin. Green bins are free and will be delivered to your front door step with no charge. This gives San Franciscan’s plenty of time to familiarize themselves with a new and green way to throw things away.
I started using the compost about three months ago when I moved to the city, and I’ll admit it can be a little confusing at first trying to figure out what goes which can. I found the SF Recycling website to a great resource, it lists all items acceptable and not in each can, it even tells you what to do with large bulky items such as furniture and toxic materials such as batteries, paint and pesticides.
So why compost? There are several benefits for both the environment and the city by simply disposing of your food scraps and other compost-able products in the green bin. Sfenvironment.org lists some of the pros and includes two Youtube clips about composting. Using your green bin eliminates unnecessary waste in our landfills while creating nutrient rich soil for growing organic food and wine.
It is important that everyone educates themselves on this issue. Once you get the hang of it you will find that you are putting very few items in the trash to be taken to landfills that harm our planet earth, instead your waste will be recycled and reused the way it should be.
