San Francisco OKs Toughest Recycling Law in Country
source: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/06/10/MN09183NV8.DTL&tsp=1
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The Board of Supervisors voted 9-2 Tuesday to approve Mayor Gavin Newsom's proposal for the most comprehensive mandatory composting and recycling law in the country. It's an aggressive push to cut greenhouse gas emissions and have the city sending nothing to landfills or incinerators by 2020.
"San Francisco has the best recycling and composting programs in the nation," Newsom said, praising the board's vote on a plan that some residents had decried as heavy-handed and impractical. "We can build on our success."
The ordinance is expected to take effect this fall.
The legislation calls for every residence and business in the city to have three separate color-coded bins for waste: blue for recycling, green for compost and black for trash.
Failing to properly sort your refuse could result in a fine after several warnings, but Newsom and other officials say fines will only be levied in the most egregious cases.
Fines for almost all residential customers and many small businesses - anyone who generates less than a cubic yard of refuse a week - are initially capped at $100. Businesses that don't have proper bins face escalating fines up to $500.
More at link.
What do you think? Is forced environmentalism taking it too far?
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- News and Politics, Green, Random, san francisco, 1 more
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- News and Politics, Green, Random, Environment, 7 more
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stenar
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I put absolutely nothing organic in my trash. It all goes in my compost heap. And I recycle everything I can.
- 2 years ago
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stenar
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stenar
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stenar:
I don't eat meat and if I did, I think it would be a sin to waste it by throwing it on the compost heap and not eating it.
- 2 years ago
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stenar
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gunsakimbo
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They have the idea backwards. No one takes well to being 'forced'. A better idea would be to have to pay for landfill space if you use over a certain amount per year. I feel like not having a 'penalty', but having to pay for excess garbage space, is a much better incentive to recycle, without directly forcing anything.
- 2 years ago
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gunsakimbo
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mbk220
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I love this and wish we had this in every town! People need a reason to care and the best way to motivate the masses is through their pocket book! Good Job Gavin! Bring it to my town next!
In San Francisco you can compare the environmental efforts of your neighborhood with the efforts of any neighborhood in the city just by checking your zip codes. - 2 years ago
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mbk220
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bo6us
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im all for it. this needs to hit every town in the us.
- 2 years ago
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bo6us
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MdrnHpp33
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Seattle has something similar but I dont know if they have enforced the punishment to those who dont use this system properly.
It might be taking it the wrong way by forcing people to do this but then again, getting that $100 should be an incentive for people to want to participate (I always feel like people shouldnt need an incentive, just knowing your saving the planet should be enough)
- 2 years ago
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MdrnHpp33
