When it comes to recycling, food waste composting is the next frontier, especially when it comes to residential recycling in Snohomish and King counties where residents can throw kitchen scraps in with their yard waste for recycling instead of landfilling.
Western Washington, of course, has been leading the way in the effort thanks to Cedar Grove Composting sites in Everett and Maple Valley, which have been faithfully processing residents’ mixed loads of twigs and banana peels picked up by most local haulers.
This week the New York Times took notice of the practice, focusing primarily on Seattle’s groundbreaking new law to make food waste recycling mandatory by 2009.
Ideally, gardeners and eaters should be composting food and yard trimmings in their own backyards. It’s easy and requires less transportation, work and fuel.
That said, curbside food waste recycling is a ingenious way to close the loop on food waste, especially for people who simply don’t have the time or desire to do home composting.
In the New York Times story, Jerry Powell, who publishes Resource Recycling magazine, based in Portland, Ore., is positively upbeat for the future of all recycling, especially in West Coast states, which have plenty of ports to get the goods to international markets.
“We’re a part of the fabric of the country,” Powell said. “What used to be done by a guy who wore Birkenstocks and drove a Volvo is now being done by someone who drives a Ford 250 with a gun rack.”
Indeed.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
