A piece in The Boston Globe Sunday Magazine makes a pretty convincing case for mandatory composting. I’m all for it, but I would like to hear from the people in SF and Seattle who now fit face that imperative.
I’m sure there would be some backlash if this occured in cities slightly less progressive than those two. But I’ll take a few complaints over the massive amount of waste currently being hauled off to landfills each day.
In the article we learn about how the island of Nantucket began collecting food waste separate from trash to save landfill space. If this island with a winter population of about 12,000 spread out over about 50 square miles can do it, there’s no reason a dense city can’t pull it off (as the collection routes would be more compact and easier).
I’d love to see video of Nantucket food collection and subsequent use of a digester. Since there isn’t footage online and I’m in the mood for a video, you’ll have to settle for this beautiful 5 minute documentary I just discovered on gleaning in California.
At the 1:35 mark, check out how nice the lettuce looks! It’s better than anything you’d find in the supermarket, but for one reason or another the grower didn’t harvest it. Gleaners can only get a fraction of these items…
The Gleaners from Hunger In California on Vimeo.
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