Wednesday, July 20, 2022

Impactful Composting, or More Kabuki Theater?

I haven't cleared a spot for it yet, but I've received my mandatory (but free!  no one pays for these!) countertop composting bin.  Great.  In addition to the garbage bags I now have to buy because stores are required to charge for bags for your groceries, in addition to paying a refundable redemption fee for cans and bottles as well as being required to pay for a blue garbage can for recyclables (and for the 2nd garbage truck that picks them up), in addition to paying more so the green "yard waste" bin will now be picked up weekly instead of biweekly, I have the privilege of paying for special compostable bags for use in my required (but free!) composting bin:



 

Does any of this produce environmentally meaningful results, or is this just a way to generate more money for governments and certain businesses?  I'd really like to know.

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5 comments:

  1. Anonymous11:55 AM

    It's all theater. I'm in Southern California, and the recycling system in this state is broken (https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2022-07-12/california-beer-breweries-can-shortage-recycling). But whenever they put in these programs, they will never go away because now there are public employees whose income rely upon it. The program to compost food scraps is supposed to reduce methane emissions (https://www.sgvtribune.com/2022/07/11/successes-challenges-mount-as-california-launches-organic-waste-recycling-program/) but it will make no difference in the global system. I feel sorry for the farmers in Norway, who are losing their livelihoods over arbitrary methane limits.

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  2. Pseudotsuga12:16 AM

    Penn and Teller did an episode of their TV show Bullsh#t on recycling.
    Their conclusion?
    Nope.

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  3. Darren10:47 AM

    Was that the one where they had 10 different colored garbage cans and had someone try to sort their garbage "correctly", or am I confusing that with another show?

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  4. Math Teacher7:29 AM

    Will the powers that be randomly check your regular garbage for compostables (i.e., to fine you if you're not using the composting bin?

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  5. Darren10:04 AM

    In theory, yes, since fines are part of the law. I can't say what the practice will be.

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