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Seattle to require table-scrap recycling

The earth machine, a backyard compost containerI grew up in a family that composted organic waste. There was always a container on the counter, either to the right or left of the kitchen sink, that was there for the sole purpose of collecting all compost-worthy bits and scraps. The job of taking the container out to the edge of the backyard (which was all of 50 feet from the house) was often delegated to either my sister or me. Other than the times when the container would slip out of my hands and send me reaching into the black plastic composter to retrieve it, I never minded the chore. I liked the idea that our scraps were getting turned back into usable, nutrient-rich soil.

When I moved to Philly, it took me a long time to get used to chucking my cucumber peels, apple cores and other vegetal material into the trash bin (I still cringe when I make veggie-intensive meals, thinking of all the nice black compost I could be helping create). I've considered getting a worm bin for under my kitchen sink, but my building has a strong prohibition against pets, and I'm not sure that worms would pass muster (and I'm a little concerned about what would happen if they broke loose).

With all this history in mind, you'll know just how envious I was to learn that the Seattle City Council recently passed an ordinance requiring that by 2009 "all single-family homes subscribe to food-waste recycling." They already offer the option of table-scrap recycling, but it isn't compulsory. Oh, that Philadelphia would only take on a similar program (but since we only started having a single-stream curbside recycling program, I'm not holding my breath).

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