Solid waste experts see composting as a way to push past the recycling plateau many towns have reached. Seattle is serious about doing so; its City Council voted last week to impose a fine, albeit a nominal one, on households that put food waste into their regular garbage instead of compost bins.
Public industrial composting programs are being tried in a number of areas. New York City has a pilot curbside pickup program that is now serving 100,000 households.
In this area, a private company, Evanston-based Collective Resource, provides home pickup of food scraps to some 200 households. And there have been a few attempts at establishing public programs. Highland Park started a food scrap composting program in 2012, but it was halted after six months when the composting facility experienced numerous problems and closed down.
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