Ever the environmentally progressive city Seattle, Washington is now the first city in the US to require single-use food service packaging to be compostable or recyclable.
As of July 1, all Seattle based restaurants, food courts, coffee shops, delis and other food service establishments are required to stop disposing of single-use food service items like napkins, bags, coffee stirrers, lids, cups, to-go containers, etc. in regular trash.
City Councilmember Mike O’Brien says the by instating this requirement Seattle has, “taken a big step towar a zero waste future.”
The city has a contract with Cedar Grove Composting and expects that the eight week compost process will keep nearly 6,000 tons of food-service waste out of landfills. Food-service compost may then be used for gardening and landscaping projects.
Similar requirements are in the works in Toronto and currently being tested in San Francisco.
Could Philly be next?
With information from Lori Brown of Earth911.com
