Green Daily

San Francisco's mayor, Gavin Newsom, wants to make it illegal for Bay Area residents NOT to recycle. This new ordinance, modeled after Seattle's mandatory recycling program, requires residents to recycle paper, plastics and "other salvageable materials." Businesses and landlords in Seattle can be fined up to $50 per offense if they fail to sort recyclables. Newsom says that he doesn't want to punish citizens who don't recycle but hopes that by having such an ordinance on the books, more people will pay attention to what they are throwing out.

In addition to plastics and metals, Newsom wants the city of San Francisco to compost their food scraps and lawn clippings as well. I sense that there my be some resistance to this as many apartment dwellers don't have the benefit of a backyard garden. I have visions of community compost bins at every street corner -- now there's a thought.