Will the city require food-waste recycling? Council committee hearing this afternoon

The City Council is considering a change to the recycling rules – instead of just enabling food-waste recycling, they’re looking at requiring it. The next discussion of this proposal is on the agenda for the Public Utilities and Neighborhoods Committee meeting this afternoon at City Hall at 2 pm (here’s the agenda). The slide-deck presentation accompanying the agenda item (see it here or above) says the city will take too long to get to its recycling goal of 60 percent of all waste, without a requirement like this, because food waste and compostable (but not otherwise recyclable) paper are “the largest component of readily divertible material” in what both residences and businesses throw away. If the proposal is finalized by the council, the new rules would start next year, with warnings at first, and then in July, a residential violation would cost you $1, a dumpster violation $50 after 2 warnings.

29 Replies to "Will the city require food-waste recycling? Council committee hearing this afternoon"

  • tedb310 September 9, 2014 (9:20 am)

    I thought they already did.

  • WSEA September 9, 2014 (9:27 am)

    how about a positive enforcement? I will keep putting food waste in my yard bin if you reduce the rates. If I violate the rule, you charge me the higher price.

  • Scott September 9, 2014 (9:50 am)

    City Council needs to work on something that really matters. Keep out of my house.

    • WSB September 9, 2014 (10:00 am)

      Scott – The city would probably be happy to have you take care of it “in your house” – composting food waste in your garden, for example. As it is, though, if you put it in your trash can, that’s going to a landfill someplace else. Anyway, CM Sally Bagshaw chairs the committee that’s having a hearing this afternoon and I’m sure is still accepting comments – sally.bagshaw@seattle.gov – TR

  • Oakley34 September 9, 2014 (9:57 am)

    If they are going to enforce this then they need to provide more bins for this purpose. I have lived in two W Sea apartment complexes since food soiled cardboard and food waste have been encouraged to go in the yard waste bin, and for both buildings there is one yard waste bin. Well…it is usually filled with branches, clippings, and the odd pizza box. Composting can be a messy and smelly affair. If they want all residents of these buildings to put all food waste in these bins we will need dedicated bins, not those that are shared with yard waste.

  • Anne September 9, 2014 (9:58 am)

    We have been doing this for years in our household-but I have a question-maybe a stupid one but-most folks I know line their indoor trash cans with a plastic bag-then just dump the bag into the garbage can. If you put food waste in the bag-in violation of this proposed requirement- how would SPU know that?

  • sam-c September 9, 2014 (10:08 am)

    Yes Anne, that’s what we do. if they want to dig through the garbage…. ok…as long as they don’t leave a mess at the curb.

  • typical sloth bureaucracy September 9, 2014 (10:29 am)

    I called SPU when this program first started. How many years ago was that? I was sternly told it was mandatory to use city containers and that an inspection at home was required to avoid penalty (what would that have been?) if I declined participation to ensure adequate composting was in place.

  • T Rex September 9, 2014 (10:40 am)

    I quit using those little green containers they gave us a few years ago because they are not animal proof. I cleaned up three messes and the last one pushed me over the top.

    Not to mention the rotting food if they do not empty the bin.

    What a stupid idea. Just a way to get more money out of us.

  • Rick September 9, 2014 (10:42 am)

    I remember when our reward for being one of the most recycling cities in the country was the institution of the garbage police. No surprises here.

  • BeckBe September 9, 2014 (10:43 am)

    Like Oakley34, I live in an apartment complex. There is ONE bin for yard waste and food scraps. It is not near my residence or the other trash/recycling receptacles that I use, is usually overflowing, full of flies, etc. The present situation seems like a token effort toward composting. For me to use it would definitely require more bins and more convenience.

  • Sue September 9, 2014 (12:08 pm)

    I loved being able to leave out compost when we rented a house. A year ago I moved into an apartment building, and they told me they were exempt from having offer such containers, so it’s not an option. I wish I had the option of doing it. So much of what I throw in the trash is compostable.

  • Scott September 9, 2014 (12:17 pm)

    Why would I ever want to deal with composting food waste. That is messy and I don’t want to have food left out in my house. I also don’t want to have to go outside everytime I have food and put it in a bin. Also composting involves time and effort that don’t have and want to give to something stupid. If it goes to a landfill it will break down and not be a problem.

  • KM September 9, 2014 (12:47 pm)

    WSEA-

    Love this. I have called SPU and provided them this feedback in a similar regard. If I put out less landfill waste, shouldn’t my rates reflect that? Right now, it’s based on volume of can size, not frequency, which only slightly addresses the output issue. When I suggested reduction in rates for good “trash” behavior, they asked me if I was low-income and looking for a reduced rate program. Huh.

  • JanS September 9, 2014 (12:49 pm)

    and then…you get people who do something like this: my apt. bldg has 8 units. People recycle…but they put their recycling in white stretchy Glad trash bags, which are not recyclable, and just dump the whole thing in the bin. Put up a note? They take it down. Landlord gets fined? It’s passed on to us. We do have 2 yard waste bins, but for a long time, the city workers neglected to replace the green liner that is required in the bin…makes it unusable. Mandatory? Well, we should all be doing it, but I suspect they will have to hire a bunch of people to “inspect”, etc. And there you go…job creation ! :)

  • Me mama September 9, 2014 (12:58 pm)

    As i understand it, restaurants in Seattle are required to provide compostable containers- but they arent required to compost (although some do). The law should start with restaurants first- the biggest food wasters of all.

  • Cedar Grove September 9, 2014 (12:59 pm)

    What a boondoggle for all of us here at Cedar Grove! Keep it coming, city!

  • KT September 9, 2014 (1:15 pm)

    Property tax levy for garbage police?

  • Brandon September 9, 2014 (6:04 pm)

    Why is their goal, our goal? Doesn’t the Council have more important matters on its plate, like new parks, bike lanes, development…. Besides, how can they track homeowners that do their own composting into the city goal? Tip: use an ice cream container to store the food waste, then empty it all into the recycle bin.

  • Civik September 9, 2014 (6:45 pm)

    So what are they going to do? A sniff test? Is the city aware that (as I’ve pointed out before) you have to throw grease in the trash according to their own website?

    Compostable bags are also dirty and complete crap. They leak like a sieve and create the most god-awful mess. We use regular plastic in the compost and dump the compost into the yard waste. I swear these people expect everyone to eat crappy microwaveables rather than cook whole foods.

  • trickycoolj September 9, 2014 (6:49 pm)

    Huh I already thought it was. I have to pay for a yard waste bin despite having a yard the size of an office cubicle. For those that don’t want to deal with the mess, they sell compostable 1-2 gal bags in bulk at Costco, line your container of choice with it. When it’s full tie it off and toss it in the green bin. Honestly my yard waste bin is cleaner than my trash can. I have one of those porcelain counter top buckets, it has a rubber gasket on the lid and a charcoal filter and I’ve never had any stink. Mold once on the lid because I stuffed it over the top. Occasionally I spritz it with Clorox spray if something leaks. Most the time mine is solid coffee grounds and they soak up any smells.

  • Jw September 9, 2014 (7:56 pm)

    So who really wins here? Cedar Grove will just have more product to sell back to us. Whoever develops the land on top of the dump will have less settlement issues. And we will have cans full of rotten food and raccoons…. Hmmm.

  • pupsarebest September 9, 2014 (9:22 pm)

    I love how big, tough, resilient, plucky Americans are inconvenienced by even the smallest of changes to their habits and routines.
    I mean, it isn’t as though the planet is in peril or anything important, right?

  • Cedar Grove September 9, 2014 (9:26 pm)

    Uh oh, Jw is on to my game.

  • Rob September 9, 2014 (9:30 pm)

    Along with food composting comes the rats

  • Mike September 9, 2014 (11:18 pm)

    1st start with restaurants, 2nd go after the thousands of new units being built that won’t be required to do this, then go after the least likely to not do this…people that pay estate tax, home owners.

  • RT September 10, 2014 (8:30 am)

    Agree re: rat problem. Up here in North Admiral there has been an increase in rodents. Compost bins need to be far enough away from your house to discourage entry of uninvited guests. On our tiny lots this is not feasible. But the raccoons and rats are looking forward to the smorgasbord ahead. RT

  • anonyme September 10, 2014 (2:34 pm)

    The problem with restaurants is customers. In the restaurants where bussing is left to customers, they just dump wherever – no attempt to separate anything. I suspect many of them are not bright enough to figure it out, the rest are too lazy.

    I already follow this rule, so it won’t impact me. Like Tricky, I just keep a small compost container with a Bio-bag in it and take the bag out to the yard waste bin when full. I keep the container in the fridge or freezer so it doesn’t stink. Not a big deal.

Sorry, comment time is over.