Recycling and composting expected to be mandatory by year's end

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom is proposing a law that would make Recycling and Composting mandatory within the city. San Francisco already has the highest diversion rate in the country at 70% and city officials say that this law would be neccessary in order for it to reach their goal of 75%. Jacoba Charles of Plenty Magazine reports:

“We’ve already reached the people who know it’s the right thing to do,” says Thea Hillman with the San Francisco Department of the Environment. “Now we’re at the folks who need not so much the carrot but more of the stick.”

Although mandatory recycling ordinances are already in place in some U.S. cities, San Francisco would be the first to mandate composting.

A major area this law would address is the lower diversion rate for multi-family units. Apartment owners don't always supply recycling & composting bins for their tenants. The enactment of the ordinance would require landlords to provide these bins. This would have a significant impact on the rate since a majority of San Francisco residents are renters.

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CAW and Recycling/Composting:

• Multi-Family Recycling: CAW sponsored AB 822 would provide residential recycling opportunities to over 7.1 million Californians residing in more than 2.4 million multifamily dwelling units throughout the state. It will be heard in the Senate Environmental Quality Committee June 16th and needs your support.
• CAW supports the adoption of composting as an integral component of waste reduction and greehouse gas mitigation measures.