For those who have municipal composting/green bin services, how does that work (i.e., what's included? is it mandatory? included in any normal solid waste fees or extra? how frequent? and, you know, stuff)? Here, we have curbside yard waste pickup (which the city turns into compost and/or mulch), but food waste composting is left up to you.
We have compost bins that are picked up curbside alternating weeks with garbage. (Once a week in the summer, thanks to rats.) The program accepts food waste, garden and yard clippings, boxboard and other non-plastic wrappings. Corrugated carboard, paper, bottles, cans are recycled in a different stream) It's supposed to be mandatory...there are allegedly fines for putting compostables/recyclables in the trash, but I don't think it's strictly enforced. Sometimes you see garbage/recycling bags that are rejected because they contain the wrong things. [link]
When we started, our city were leaders in North America in waste diversion, but the city has gotten complacent about recycling/composting and new things haven't been included in the stream (plastic yogurt tubs can't be recycled here) and I don't think compliance is all that high. I don't think I've ever seen my neighbors putting out their green (compost) bin.
The city does encourage things like grasscycling, they had a program this spring where you could buy backyard compost bins similar to the one Jessica linked to for about $30.
We have curbside recycling, and once-a-week yard waste pick up. Food composting is up to us, but for people who don't want to do their own, there is a for-fee private service that will pick up your food waste and return compost to you (it just started, so I haven't heard anything but the advertisement). I think it's expensive at $10 per pick up.
I don't backyard compost food, but since we're not supposed to put sods in the green bin, I have a sod pile in the corner of the yard that I often toss weeds and garden clippings into. I lay the sods dirt side up and the grass and weeds kind of breakdown underneath. I've planted things on top of the sod pile in the past with lots of success.
My CSA recycles egg cartons. I find I am holding onto my veggie bags for reuse. I know there is more I could be doing, but I figure that as long as I keep taking steps forward, I'm going in the right direction.
Separately, no matter how sleep deprived I was yesterday, taking a full Zolpedem (generic Ambien) was not a good idea. I am FULL of the gronk today. I usually only take a half.
We sort out recycling but not compost.
Actually, we did sort out the compost once upon a time, but last year someone stole our building's compost bin! Why would anyone even do that? Totally annoying (and now that the city is semi-officially requiring everyone to compost, there's a huge backlog of requests for new composting bins and I don't even know how many thousands of places we are down on the waiting list).
Once you compost, what do you do with the compost?
I spread it in my vegetable garden, of course! It's basically dirt.
lisah! Sorry about your crappy day and stress... and seeing your name reminded me that I still have your house key. I'm not completely sure which one it is on the ol' keychain, though. So, one of these days, we should get together so I can return it. After you tell me which one it is. I think I know, but...
ha! thanks, Jen. I'd love to get together sometime soon! fo' real.
