 Usually, that means government officials wielding their power to tell you what
you cannot do, by banning juice, bake sales or Chapstick, to name a few. But
government coercion comes in many forms, and sometimes being told you must do
something — particularly under the threat of fine or imprisonment — is worse
than being told what you cannot do.
Such is the case this week in Seattle, where the City Council has imposed a
mandatory composting ordinance, requiring all residents to separate their
biodegradable trash from other kinds of refuse.
COMPOSTING COMMON SENSE: Composting might be a fine option – rather than an
option that will get you a fine if you don’t choose it – for people with a large
backyard and room for a compost bin. But apartment-dwellers will now have to
keep their smelly, decomposing leftovers somewhere in their homes, right
alongside the trash and mandatory recycling bins.
Residents of the Emerald City who don’t comply with the new rules could face
fines of $1 per violation.
It doesn’t appear the city will hire dumpster-diving cops to inspect the trash,
but they’re expecting garbage collection companies to enforce the rules.
According to the Seattle Times “collectors can take a cursory look each time
they dump trash into a garbage truck. If they see compostable items make up 10
percent or more of the trash, they’ll enter the violation into a computer system
their trucks already carry, and will leave a ticket on the garbage bin that says
to expect a $1 fine on the next garbage bill.”
“The point isn’t to raise revenue,” Tim Croll, director of solid waste for the
Seattle Public Utility agency, told the Times. “We care more about reminding
people to separate their materials.”
Nothing like a gentle reminder that comes with the threat of financial penalty
if you don’t do it, am I right?
But wait, it gets worse: Even if you’re the most conscientious composter in the
city, you’ll end up paying more because your neighbors might make the mistake of
throwing food in the trash.
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 Under the ordinance, apartment complexes and offices would be
fined $50 for each violation. In other words, landlords probably can
expect they’ll be hit with a few violations during the year — and
guess what that means for your rent? It’s not going down, that’s for
sure.
Seattle hopes the new rule will boost residents’ recycling. The city
has a goal of recycling 60 percent of refuse by 2015.
Composting might be a fine option — rather than an option that
will get you a fine if you don’t choose it — for people with a large
backyard and room for a compost bin. But apartment-dwellers will now
have to keep their smelly, decomposing leftovers somewhere in their
homes, right alongside the trash and mandatory recycling bins.
The Seattle City Council seems to have no concern about the amount
of floor space, cost of rent or the unpleasant odor soon to be
wafting from every residence in the city.
And these new rules regarding composting come only months after the
Council announced that the Seattle Public Utilities would have to
raise trash-collection rates by 5 percent, meaning residents will
pay more to have the trash men haul away less.
For composting common sense and issuing “reminders” with the
equivalent of parking tickets, the Seattle City Council is this
week’s winner.
Their prize is the city’s largest compost bin — hopefully located at
the center of its Council chambers.
Boehm can be reached at EBoehm@Watchdog.org and follow @WatchdogOrg
on Twitter for more.
[This
article courtesy of
Watchdog.]
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