Green Options

A misguided new California law prevents people from selling recycling if they do not have a valid state ID card.

On the rare sunny San Francisco day, people don’t flock to the beach as much as you’d expect-they head to the inland parks since often the beach is still cold. Dolores Park, one of the most popular sunny day hang-outs, will be jam packed on these days, leading to overflowing trashcans and recycling bins.

Luckily, there seem to always be a loyal handful of people wandering through the park collecting beer cans and water bottles from the partiers and picnickers. What’s their motivation for their almost surreal helpfulness? Well, a trade-in value of about 5-cents for each bottle or can.

But now the state is preventing many of these people from making their meager living.

San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom is proposing a law that would make recycling mandatory in the city. The law would require:

• All landlords to provide adequate recycling and composting for their tenants;

• Businesses that sell items (e.g., takeout food) to allow the public to deposit small amounts of recyclables, compostables and trash in their receptacles;

• Event organizers to site and manage sufficient groups of recycling, composting and trash receptacles;