The Business Behind Curbside Composting

San Francisco is entering its seventeenth year of curbside-composting, a process involving bins reserved specifically for organic or biodegradable waste. Just as they do with trash or recycling, residents of the city put food scraps, newspapers, biodegradable plastics and virtually anything compostable in these large bins to be collected by a company specializing in compost collection.

However, compost collection isn’t necessarily important to large trash corporations. The biggest trash collecting firm in America, Waste Management, or WM, is not a government sponsored organization, but a private, revenue driven firm.

WM isn’t just a private firm " it’s a major political force with rights and benefits just like any other citizen. WM has a lot of political power, and can lobby to change the rules for its own self-interest. WM stopped many cities from passing ordinances that would prohibit residents to place food scraps and other biodegradable waste in landfills. The environmental implication of keeping these scraps out of the landfills is crucial and can include saving room, and promote composting, which reduces the methane gas emissions that come out of living matter. WM uses its political power to lobby against these trash laws. Since many waste laws vary from state to state, WM can pick and choose the less environmentally conscious states in which to lobby. States such as Florida and Georgia are especially vulnerable to WM’s political power.

By allowing food scraps and yard waste in landfills, WM receives more money for collecting. Instead of having a different company come by to pick up yard scraps and other items, WM is in charge of simply taking those large bags of bio-waste and putting it with the rest of the trash. A study in 2011 showed that by simply composting all the garbage in California, 5.8 million metric tons of carbon could be cut each year. These policies implemented by WM are setbacks in recycling and environmental goals set by local and state governments.

It’s time more cities start to recognize the efforts of San Francisco and try to mimic their green approach to waste management. People all over the world can start composting their own backyards. With compostable bags readily available to the public, composting at home has really never been easier. Cutting out corporate giants like Waste Management is a small step in cutting back on our carbon footprint.