Curbside Composting: A Valuable Community Service

Robin Shreeves — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 15:41:26 +0000

This past spring, my family and I were able to get all the compost we needed for our vegetable garden from a local community’s compost pile at their department of public works. The compost was created from all of the leaves and yard clippings that had been collected curbside. Many communities collect leaves, clippings and other outside organic matter to turn into compost, but some communities are taking it a step further.

Cities such as San Francisco, Minneapolis, Toronto, and Boulder all have programs in place that allow residents to place food scraps curbside to be turned into compost.

Food that is mixed in with regular trash is estimated to make up about 40% of the trash in landfills. It also is the biggest offender in creating landfill methane which is a powerful greenhouse gas - 72 times more powerful than carbon dioxide. Reducing landfill methane is just one of the benefits of keeping this type of waste out of landfills.

According to San Francisco’s environmental site

Shouldn’t Every Day be America Recycles Day by Now?

Robin Shreeves — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 15:56:43 +0000

November 15th is officially America Recycles Day. Sponsored by the National Recycling Coalition, America Recycles Day

is the only nationally recognized day dedicated to encouraging Americans to recycle and to buy recycled products. Celebrating its 11th year, it has grown to include millions of Americans pledging to increase their recycling habits at home and work and to buy products made with recycled materials.

I know that attention needs to be called to recycling so I don’t have a problem with the National Recycling Coalition sponsoring this day.

What I have to wonder, though, is why isn’t America at the point where a day like this is obsolete? Why do we need to have a special day to remind us to recycle? Why isn’t recycling so ingrained in our life that we don’t even think twice about it? Shouldn’t every day be America Recycles Day by now?

I already know one of the answers. For so long we’ve been focused on convenience and recycling can seem inconvenient. I realized just how inconvenient some people viewed it when my town went to single stream, or co-mingled, recycling pick up. Instead of having to separate the items that are picked up in our curbside recycling program, residents can now put them all in one container. I found out at our town Green Team meeting that this would increase how much gets recycled in our town.

I asked why. I was told that statistically, people are much more willing to recycle when they don’t have to separate items.

Seriously? Some people won’t separate their paper from their cans/bottles? It’s too much work?

Green Options » curbside recycling

Curbside Composting: A Valuable Community Service

Shouldn’t Every Day be America Recycles Day by Now?