Green Matters™
by Crissy Trask
Welcome to my blog where I share almost anything I think will help make greener living undeniable and simple. News, tips, insight and resources served up weekly. I also share my perspectives on others' perspectives and actions. Agree or disagree, I hope you will find them thought-provoking and a starting point for conversation.
Previous Post...Next Post...Information on Reprints...2010 Blog
JUNE 22, 2009 Not separating your recyclables from your trash can hurt
When San Franciscans start taking out the trash this fall, they'll have to follow strict recycling laws...or else. As reported by the San Francisco Chroncile, a new ordinance taking effect Fall 2009 will require residents to sort their household trash as follows: recyclables in the blue bin, compost in the green bin and trash in the black bin. Sloppy sorting, e.g. placing recyclables or compost in a black bin, could result in a warning and eventually a $100 fine if the violations persist.
Opponents of the new law say it's impossible to get it (garbage sorting) perfect all the time. Young children and visitors in the home can throw things in the wrong bin; or a passer by could chuck a plastic bottle into your black bin after you've set it out on collection day. Is San Francisco going too far? I don't think so. In the first place, members of the Board of Supervisors who passed the legislation say only egregious violators will be fined. Secondly, it's damn important how we dispose of our waste today. Too important to continue to look the other way while millions of Americans permit recyclable and compostable materials to end up in the landfill.
Recycling
is no longer something we can elect to do in order to feel better
about ourselves. It is now something we must do--wherever it
is possible anyway--to help solve a number of problems, just
one of which it too much trash. Packaging, in particular, is
the largest and fastest growing segment of the waste stream by
volume. And with more and more people added to the planet everyday,
finding places to put our trash will become increasingly difficult.
But it's not just the physical bulk of trash that demands more recycling. Recycling also creates valuable raw material that reduces the amount of virgin material we must extract or manufacture. And recycling saves massive amounts of energy. For example, it takes less energy to manufacture steel, aluminum, glass and paper products from recycled material than from new (virgin) material. In one year, recycling reduces greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to removing 39.4 million cars from the road.
So, is it fair to fine people as much as $100 for careless garbage sorting? I think it's as fair as any fine that is levied to try and correct behavior that has consequence that extend beyond the home front. Besides, there's a sure way to avoid the fine…follow the rules.
2009 BLOG INDEX
Posts by Topic
Air Quality
6/8/09, Leaf Blowers:
An Environmental Nightmare
Cleaning
4/14/09, Don’t
Be So Quick to Blame the Low-Phosphate Detergent
Energy
7/6/09, It’s Summer
Time and the Livin’ is ‘Green’!
4/7/09, Window Films Can Lower Your
Cooling Bills and Your Tax Liability
3/14/09, Bundle Your
Gadgets
Food
10/27/09, Super
Freakonomics Authors Come Down Hard on Local Food
10/22/09, Hey Foodies, What
Are You Feeding Your Pets?
Green Terms
5/26/09, A Closer Look
at the Definition of “Recycled” and Some Other “Re”
Words
Plastic, and other Trash
7/13/09, Will a
Ban on Bottled Water Lad to Bad Beverage Choices?
4/22/09, Bottled Water
Gets Reinvented
3/2/09, Inefficient Packaging
Awards (No. 1)
Perspectives
9/14/09, Gullibility
is Derailing Progress
8/24/09, Check
Your Lifestyle Before Bragging About Recycling
8/19/09, Simple
Solutions Won’t Work Alone: Comprehensive is the True Agent
of Change
2/22/09, The Unhappiest Generation
2/12/09, Inauguration
Attendees Fail to Demonstrate Change
Reduce
8/5/09, Direct
Mail Marketers Want to Force Junk Mail on Us
3/21/09, Better
Yard Sales
1/25/09, Wasting Trees:
Why I Hate Junk Mail
Reuse
10/14/09, Wrapping
with Your Butcher
5/7/09, Craigslist Buyers are A Flakey Bunch on the Whole
Recycling
6/22/09, Not
Separating Your Recyclables from Your Trash Can Hurt
3/4/09, Recycle Your
Water Filters
Transportation
6/15/09, Avoid
Hot Car Syndrome to Reduce Emissions…and Discomfort
Water
3/27/09,
Water, Water Everywhere, but Not a
Drop…
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