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Mandatory Composting Begins in San Francisco Today
Beginning today, the city of San Francisco will require both businesses and residences to compost food scraps and biodegradable products or risk a fine for not properly sorting their garbage. While other cities require recycling service and participation, the law, which Mayor Gavin Newsom signed into effect in June, is the first nationwide to require the collection of food scraps and other compostables.
A study by the Department of the Environment found that 36 percent of what San Francisco sends to landfills is compostable, primarily food scraps, and 31 percent is recyclable — which is mostly paper.
Casa Verde: Ed Begley's Top 5 Ideas For Going Green at Home
Environmentalist extraordinaire and star of hit eco show Living With Ed, Ed Begley Jr. recently chatted with Green Muze about his ideas for green living. Ed also shared his ideas for the top five ways that people can go green. Many of them are surprisingly easy!
San Francisco Becomes First City to Require Composting
If you haven't jumped on the composting bandwagon yet, now might be a good time to start: composting is slowly but surely being written into the law. Last week, San Francisco, CA, became the first US city to pass a bill requiring mandatory recycling of food scraps. The legislation, which takes effect this Fall, asks all of the city's residents and businesses — including restaurants — to compost food scraps.
Cool Idea: Multitasking Countertops
On a recent trip to Austin, TX, I stayed at the Park Lane Guesthouse, an eco hotel in one of my favorite neighborhoods. The whole house was beautifully restored (I'll share more pictures soon), but I was particularly impressed with the multitasking ingenuity of this hand-tiled countertop. Near the sink, a small, blue glass handle emerged from the tile.
Do You Have a Compost Bin?
Last weekend when I was cooking at FabSugar's house, I was surprised to see a stylish, yet eco-friendly compost bin in her kitchen. Although she's not much of a big cook, she is a fan of helping the environment. Fab's commitment to green living has inspired me to start composting.
Cool Idea: Composting Bags
According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, yard trimmings and food residuals make up 25 percent of the total waste sent to the dump. By composting, you can help to reduce the amount of garbage sent to landfills.
SunChips, which is an advertiser on our site, is one of the companies working to green its business practices, and I wanted to highlight its good work in this area.
Casa Verde: CowPots
They might not be the most glamorous choice, but CowPots are a brilliant gardening idea. Invented by brothers Matt and Ben Freund, these Connecticut dairy farmers were looking for a way to make their farm more sustainable. And since dairy farms all produce manure as a free byproduct, the brothers started there.
Garden Therapy: A DIY Compost Bin
Craftster member Gwydion has inspired me to use the extra lumber left over from some home projects to build a new compost pile. I'm tired of wrestling with my flimsy plastic composter, which seems to never stay in place and whose top always folds into the compost itself. Yuck!
Primer: Vermicomposting
Vermicomposting, or vermiculture, is a method of composting that uses worms, either red wigglers or red earthworms, in addition to bacteria, as a catalyst for the decomposition of organic waste. It can occur on a large (tons) or small scale, but it's particularly suited to kitchen composting, where space is limited. To set up a vermicompost, you first must find a bin, anything from a reused plastic bucket to a retailer compost bin, that has holes in the sides to allow air to flow, and a spout that can be opened or closed or holes in the bottom to drain into a collection tray.
Yummy Links: From Dancing Rocco to Harvey Wallbanger
- Rocco DiSpirito will be a contestant on the upcoming season of Dancing With the Stars. — BuzzSugar
- The 411 on how long you should keep dry spices. — Chow
- McCain Frozen Foods' new advertising campaign capitalizes on the fact that they have the same name as presidential candidate, John McCain.
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