Bless those Seattlites. From where I stand, they’re way ahead of the curve:
They recycle household food waste, or at least they will starting in 2009.
They provide great advice on food waste, quoting excellent experts (scroll to the end).
They recycle food at Mariners games.
They recycle food at hospitals.
About 30 miles down the road in Everett, Wash., they even recycle food at retirement homes.
Heck, they even recycle pro basketball teams. (note: this sad turn of events is not the fans’ fault).
2 Comments
I visited Seattle last year and was very impressed by the bin my host, who owned her own home, would put out for city pickup of food waste for compost. But, I have to wonder — what’s the tradeoff, in terms of fuel miles, to truck the waste somewhere centralized to let it cure into valuable fertilizer?
Very good question, Mr./Ms. Monkey.
I don’t know the exact answer, but I’m confident it’s better to collect and compost food waste instead of just sending it to a landfill. First, composting prevents harmful methane emissions that’d occur if waste was landfilled. Second, they’re mixing the food waste with yard debris they’re already collecting. The trucks are already making the rounds, so there would only be a little bit of added emissions (because the added materials will necessitate more runs).
While we’re at it, it’s better to have trash collection trucks instead of having everyone driving individually to the dump, as happens in my hometown.