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In case you haven't heard, it's now illegal to throw away food scraps in San Francisco--and failing to recycle can hit you with a $500 fine. When the news first surfaced that the law had passed, many were worried. But instead of lamenting how the city government is taking over its freedoms, San Franciscans have embraced the new laws--and they're keeping more junk out of the landfill than ever.
In fact, before the law even took affect, the city saw the amount it composted jump from 400 to 500 tons of waste every day. That's 500 tons of waste that's not taking up space in a landfill, and is instead being put to efficient reuse. The law is simple--residents are given special composting bins for food waste and other compostable rubbish. The bins get collected by the city. Presto--more fertilizer, less trash, lower carbon footprint.
The city's program highlights how easy and effective composting is, and helps shed some of the hippie aura that still clings to it. And even if you don't live in San Francisco, you can follow the city's example--and start composting. There are plenty of cheap, easy ways to compost without making a mess.
In fact, that highlights one of the misconceptions about compost--ever since San Francisco started a composting regimen, many are finding that the city's buildings are smelling better. That's because all the food scraps that would normally gather in waste bins and decompose with other trash are now separated, sealed, and collected. If you were to keep your food scraps out of the trash, and instead brought them outside (and okay, your compost pile will almost certainly not look like the beast of one pictured above) chances are, your kitchen's odor would only benefit.
So if you're not familiar with composting, perhaps it's time to take a peek at the practice. If an entire city can make it mandatory--why can't you.
Here are some resources to get you started:
Compost : How to Make It, Bins, Piles and More
75 Things You Can Compost , But Thought You Couldn't
Build a Compost Box in Your Apartment
Organic Gardening: Composting
More on Composting
Does it Matter if I Compost ?
Make a Compost Bin from an Old Storage Tub
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