[Reader Submitted] A Scrappy Look at Recycling

September 18, 2008

Los Angeles is taking a new step towards improving their recycling program. In 2002, a survey was conducted to see how much waste was generated by single-family homes. The results were astounding with 27% of waste in black “trash” bins found to be food waste and that food waste generating up to 230,000 tons in landfills. Now, the city is trying to do something about it. Their answer is a 2 gallon green bucket. This small bin will finally give us a place to put everything we wanted to recycle but were told “no” by the recycling regulations. The new bin will allow us to recycle all food scraps and soiled materials such as pizza boxes and tea bags, and residents can empty the small green bucket into the larger outdoor green bin.

The program’s test run will consist of 5,000 homes in South Los Angeles costing the city $140,000, but if the program is successful and spreads city wide, it could save 600 tons of waste from going to local landfills here in Los Angeles. Education will also be a part of this program to help residents learn about what they can recycle and how.

Skeptics believe that this program will not be successful due to our lazy nature and resistance to change. It will require a behavior modification by adding an extra step in your normal trash disposal routine, but if successful, the pros will greatly outweigh the cons. I am optimistic that this will be successful as we are not the pioneers of this idea. San Francisco areas have been recycling food scraps for years now, and it has proven to be a successful venture. Now it’s Los Angeles’ turn to follow in their eco-minded footsteps.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-scraps13-2008aug13,0,3873446.story
http://www.stopwaste.org/home/index.asp

By reader: Marint

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