You will Obey

[xoxoxoBruce]

In Cleveland, you better recycle and you better make enough trash.

Armed with RFID chips and a disdain for those residents who simply refuse to put out their recyclables in a timely manner, an army of "smart" recycling bins will soon descend on Cleveland to enact their green environmental goodness.

The bins will be an expansion of a 15,000 resident experimental program that tracked whether or not people were putting their recycling bins out on the curb. If a resident does not take their bin out for a few weeks, the system is notified and a fine could levied against the offender if a visiting "trash supervisor" determines their normal trash bins are filled with more than 10% recyclable material.

The $2.5 million program goes into effect next year for 25,000 residents, with 25,000 person expansions planned for each following year until all of Cleveland's 150,000 residents are covered.

If you think this program sounds fantastical and futuristic, it really isn't, as England has used a similar program for several years now to weigh garbage output of its citizens. Those people who throw out too much refuse are fined. Cleveland will implement a similar trash program as part of its smart bin plan as well.

There's a lot to be gained from recyclables if you're the Cleveland cit government. For instance, Cleveland.com reports that for every ton of recyclables they collect, the city makes $26. On the other hand, the city was paying $30 per ton to dump trash in a landfill.

Next up, high tech toilets that check to see you use enough, but not too much, toilet paper.

[limey]

... England has used a similar program for several years now to weigh garbage output of its citizens. Those people who throw out too much refuse are fined ...

Well, some parts of England maybe ...

[Lamplighter]

<snip>
There's a lot to be gained from recyclables if you're the Cleveland cit government.
For instance, Cleveland.com reports that for every ton of recyclables they collect,
the city makes $26. On the other hand, the city was paying $30 per ton to dump trash in a landfill.

If Cleveland is making $26/ton, how much do you suppose Waste Management
or Republic (formerly Allied Waste) are making per billion tons,
that makes such a project to find every last holdout customer
worth the lobbying effort to get the County government to write it into enforcement law ?

When you need them, where's the NRA crying out:
" I'll give you my recyclables when you pry them from my cold, dead trash cart ! "

.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by limey

Well, some parts of England maybe ...

I would assume it would only be worth the expense in the largest cities.

[Undertoad]

Story is from 2010

Update on story in April 2015

Summary of update: nobody has been fined.

[xoxoxoBruce]

That's typical, well planned, poorly executed.

[Clodfobble]

In my neighborhood you have to pay extra for the privilege of getting a recycle bin. Only maybe one in five houses has one at all, let alone how much they are or aren't filling it.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Here we pay for recycling whether we use it or not, they tack it onto the property tax bill as a separate fee, and hire a contractor to pick it up every other week.
Trash pickup is private contractors we have to hire/pay ourselves.

[Happy Monkey]

Originally Posted by Undertoad

Summary of update: nobody has been fined.

Plus, even in the original article, you wouldn't be fined for too little trash. If you had too little recycling, your regular trash might be checked for recyclables.

[BigV]

jfc

what a bunch of slackers you all are.

here, here we get garbage cans, recycling cans, and compost cans. we're expected. no. required to separate our garbage from our recycling from our compostables. and no shit, if you put more that about 5% of compostables in a noncompostable can, recycling or garbage, you're liable for a fine up to $50 per offense.

I shit you not.

Now, heh, that means they need to look in my cans to find out what's being put where, right? turns out, in our zeal to protect the privacy of our citizens, our garbage is considered private. and looking at that garbage without a warrant constitutes a legal violation of my privacy. so now the government has no way to collect evidence of violation of the law they've passed.

I'm completely cool with all aspects of the current snafu. in fact, there's a LAWSUIT against the city for a breach of privacy for just this situation. fine. It's right to separate the garbage. I've been to the dump, a lot, and recently. there's many many metric fucktons of just unnecessary crapola in the landfills. stuff that would be cheaper and easier to remake by recycling, *IF* the effort/cost of sorting/streaming it to the right place were not passed on to the next dumber sucker.

still.

it's a bit of a headache to have to maintain three fucking "trash" cans in the kitchen and the alley.

[xoxoxoBruce]

What's the difference between garbage and compostables? Everything in the garbage, except maybe egg shells and coffee grounds, should compost ok. Or are interchanging the word garbage and trash?

Is this a federal law they can't peek in the cans, because I've read several places claiming as soon as it goes to the curb it belongs to the city, so people aren't allow to take anything put out. I think is came about from homeless people looking for aluminum to sell or deposit cans/bottles.

[Lamplighter]

What's the difference between garbage and compostables?...

styrofoam containers and the food that's in them !

[BigV]

Food Waste Requirements

The Seattle City Council passed an ordinance prohibiting food from Seattle’s residential and commercial garbage on September 22, 2014. Effective January 1, 2016, all commercial, single-family, and multi-family garbage containers that have more than 10% recyclables or food waste by volume will face penalties per Seattle municipal code.

Single-family properties:

Single-family properties with more than 10% recyclables or food waste by volume in their garbage will receive a notice on their garbage container.
A $1 fine will appear on their bi-monthly garbage bill beginning January 1, 2016.

Multi-family and commercial properties:

All commercial establishments that generate food waste or compostable paper must subscribe to a composting service, compost their food waste on-site, or self-haul their food waste for processing.
Multi-family and commercial properties whose garbage contains more than 10% recyclables or food waste by volume will receive a warning notice. Upon the third notice, the property will receive a $50 fine beginning January 1, 2016.

What doesn't go in the garbage?

All food and food-soiled paper products – such as paper towels, paper napkins, and cardboard – are now required to be composted. What's accepted as food and yard waste?

Recyclable items, such as paper, uncontaminated cardboard, bottles, cups, jars and cans are currently prohibited from the garbage. What's accepted as recycling?
Businesses and public containers

Public litter cans are exempt from the ordinance.

Garbage containers in customer dining areas are exempt from the ordinance when a business provides containers for recycling and food+ compostables collection.
Reduce waste

The food waste law is projected to divert 38,000 tons of food scraps from the landfill via composting.

SPU’s education campaign went into effect October 2014.
Food waste is prohibited from garbage effective January 1, 2015.
Fines for too much food waste in the garbage are effective January 1, 2016.

The food and yard waste is sent to composting processers, where it is turned into compost for local parks and gardens. Currently, Seattle sends approximately 100,000 tons of food waste 300 miles to a landfill in Eastern Oregon each year.

From here:

Yes! In Your Food and Yard Waste Cart
Food scraps

Fruit and vegetables
Bread, pasta, grains
Eggshells, nutshells
Coffee grounds, filters
Tea bags
Meat, fish, and chicken
Dairy products - milk, butter, cheese
Shells and bones

Food-soiled paper

Paper towels, napkins - kitchen only
Paper plates - uncoated only
Food-soiled newspaper
Greasy pizza boxes
Shredded paper
Paper bags (uncoated) with food scraps
Compostable bags
Approved compostable tableware (pdf)

Yard waste

Plant material
Grass
Leaves, branches, twigs - up to 4 inches in diameter and 4 feet in length
Plant and tree trimmings
House plants - no pots
Small amounts of sod - less than 60 pounds
Holiday trees - no tinsel, ornaments, flocking; not longer than 6 feet long and 4 inches in diameter
Bundles up to 4 feet long and 2 feet in diameter, tied with natural twine

Not! In Your Food and Yard Waste Cart
Garbage can

Biodegradable containers unless marked “Approved” by Cedar Grove
Styrofoam containers
Dirty coated paper cups, plates. Clean ones can be recycled
Disposable utensils
Grease and fats in lidded container
Facial or toilet tissue
Diapers
Pet waste and litter
Household trash/litter
Hoses
Garden tools
Bundles tied with wire, nylon cording or plastic banding
Loose soil
Rocks/gravel

Recycle cart - all items must be clean

Plastic shopping, newspaper, and dry cleaner bags - clean, stuffed together, no produce bags
Milk, juice, ice cream cartons - rinsed
Cardboard - unwaxed, flattened
Plastic bottles, jugs, dairy tubs
Glass bottles and jars
Metal cans
Paper - dry
Nursery pots
Paper and plastic cups - clean
Plastic trays and containers

[fargon]

And I thought I wanted to move to Seattle.

[BigV]

Come on, man, you'll love it. I do.