Yesterday afternoon, San Francisco's Board of Supervisors passed a new law making it illegal to put your coffee grounds or used paper napkins into your trash bin. If you continue to do so after several warnings, you can be fined.
Mayor Gavin Newsom proposed this first of its kind mandatory recycling and composting ordinance although he admitted than he does not do it himself because he and his wife 'are never home' and that he hasn't cooked or eaten at home in years. He said he was looking forward to eating at home one day.
The Supervisor's voted 9-2 in favor although there are some nagging questions that have yet to be answered. We can agree that recycling and composting is a good idea. Getting fined for something you have no control over is a worrisome thing. Once your bins are on the streets, people can take things out and put things in. It's already a state law to take things out because scavengers were going through people's bins for bottles and cans to redeem for cash. It was a main source of income for some homeless people.
The promoters of the mandatory sorting into proper bins of all refuse contend that fining people is not the object. It is to change behavior. I have some questions for them. Into which bin, do we put dog and cat poop? Is it compost or trash? This is a serious concern in a city with more dogs than children and where people are good about picking up after their dogs. I have been told by a DPW supervisor that we are not supposed to put dog poop in the bins in the park. We are supposed to take it home and put it in our own bins. Mayor Newsom has also reduced the number of city refuse containers on the theory that if there are fewer containers, there will be less garbage for the city to pick up and dispose of and the streets will be cleaner. Think of all the problems we could solve with this theory of governmental logic.
This is front page news in the San Francisco Chronicle with the headlines of "Toughest composting law in the U.S." It has sidebars with tips of composting and a grid of what types of refuse goes into what bin. Please note that pet poop is not on the list. Other than pet poop, I have a long list of other items than I don't know how to dispose of legally. I already have garbage pick-up day anxiety. So do the neighbors I have spoken to. A lot people do not have room for three bins and it's hard on the infirm and elderly. The web-page for the trash collecting companies has instructions for disposing of most materials. They do tell us what to do with prescription drugs that are expired. Keep them in a safe place until such time as there are places to take them. Don't put them in the bins and don't flush them. There are many items that cannot go in the bins at all and must be taken to special locations for recycling or disposal.
Here's the link to the news article:
http://www.sfgate.com/...
Here's the pdf of the ordinance itself.
http://www.sfgov.org/...
Notice that the promoters stress that it is not their intention to fine people. Our experience with parking and other ordinances tells us something different. It is ripe for abuse and arbitrary enforcement. Some neighbors do things to get other neighbors into trouble for different and sometimes weird reasons. I can see recycling vigilantes making thier rounds.
Another serious question for the bio experts:
What difference is there in the earth-harming gases produced by garbage if it is in a landfill or if it's in a compost heap? Composting is the better option for many reasons, but does it make that much difference as they contend in the ordinance? Doesn't organic material produce the same amounts and types of gases no matter where it decomposes?
I come from a long line of compulsive recyclers and composters. It's a good thing to do. That is not the problem with this ordinance. It is the attitude of big stick and little carrot. Our Mayor was featured in an ad for Prop 8 that is credited for helping it pass. He was shouting at the top of his lungs about the legalization of gay marriage in the state announcing: Here it is......whether you like it or not!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So, here is. Mandatory Composting and Recycling .....whether you like it or not!!!!!!!!!! The attitude already sets up resentment. It sticks in the craw of people who have already been doing their bit. There are some flies in the ointment...and a few maggots,too. One thing for sure, every time I am dealing with my garbage, I will be thinking of Gavin Newsom and the Supervisors who passed this piece of u-m-m-m ...legislation.
What do you think? Is it too much? Can we achieve ZERO trash by 2020 as they claim? Are there better ways to change behavior to get people to compost and recycle?