New York’s ‘Food Recycling’ Program Could Be The Future Of Waste And Energy

[ScienceRocks]

New York’s ‘Food Recycling’ Program Could Be The Future Of Waste And Energy

By Annie-Rose Strasser on Jun 17, 2013 at 3:25 pm

New Yorkers’ food scraps will soon be turned into electricity, thanks to a new initiative announced Sunday by the office of Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

The new “food recycling” program will call for the construction of a composting facility in the New York region to take 100,000 tons of food waste a year — just one tenth of the total one million pounds created by New York residents annually. Compost will be turned into biogas, with the express purpose of helping the city lower its electric bill.

The launch of the program will be voluntary, and city officials estimate that 150,000 homes will take part, along with 600 schools and 100 high-rise buildings, the New York Times reports. By 2015 or 2016, however, officials hope to have the whole city on board.

The program will be hugely beneficial for New Yorkers’ wallets. Just days ago, a report found that Americans throw out 40 percent of their food. That waste amounts to $400 per person annually.

New York's 'Food Recycling' Program Could Be The Future Of Waste And Energy | ThinkProgress

A voluntary program turning food waste into energy is a good idea. Sounds like a useful use for it. I'm posting this here also for real discussion.

 

[ScienceRocks]

Why shouldn't there be a "voluntary" program to convert our food waste to energy? Makes some sense!

 

[auditor0007]

Sounds good to me.

 

[Seawytch]

Fantastic energy solution. Way to go NY! Next up, the Bloom Box.

Bloom Box

 

[Katzndogz]

If the smell doesn't get them, the rats will.

What a stupid, really stupid idea.

 

[Skull Pilot]

Seems to me all these "voluntary" programs become mandatory with fines attached so if it's kept voluntary with no punitive fees for noncompliance it's OK with me.

 

[martybegan]

Seems to me all these "voluntary" programs become mandatory with fines attached so if it's kept voluntary with no punitive fees for noncompliance it's OK with me.

The problem is eventually it will become mandatory, which means another garbage pail in the kitchen. We would be up to four by then.

Glass/plastics
Paper
Non food trash
Food trash

 

[Skull Pilot]

Seems to me all these "voluntary" programs become mandatory with fines attached so if it's kept voluntary with no punitive fees for noncompliance it's OK with me.

The problem is eventually it will become mandatory, which means another garbage pail in the kitchen. We would be up to four by then.

Glass/plastics
Paper
Non food trash
Food trash

I just throw all my trash into black plastic bags and take it to the dump myself.

I separate the cardboard boxes from the business deliveries and I put the returnable bottles in the shed for the local boy scout troop to pick up but that's as far as my recycling goes.

 

[Katzndogz]

Before Bloomie is done he'll have people saving feces for composting.

 

[Mr. H.]

Before Bloomie is done he'll have people saving feces for composting.

...or wearing thigh bags to process both urine AND feces:

 

[Katzndogz]

Bloomberg doesn't have to live with all his insanity. He is a perfect example of a very rich puppetmaster who imagines that all those little people are his personal playthings.

New York will have a new mayor who would do the city well to undo all of Bloomberg's nonsense.

 

[boedicca]

Where this will inevitably lead:

 

[FA_Q2]

The voluntary portion is only temporary.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/17/n...e.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss&
so no, it is not a voluntary program. The pilot program was voluntary, the overall program is going to be mandatory.

Personally, I don’t really care either way. The idea is sound but I can’t stand composting. The smell is terrible if you have it for any length of time and garbage collection for us is weekly (likely never to increase without big increases in cost). I believe that this program picked up twice a week so that helps.

If it works it works but I abhor anything that is made non-voluntary because the government ‘knows what’s best’ approach. That is not an option.

 

[boedicca]

Before Bloomie is done he'll have people saving feces for composting.

...or wearing thigh bags to process both urine AND feces:

The spice must flow....

 

[auditor0007]

Where this will inevitably lead:

Currently, we have a recycle bin for all recyclables. That includes plastics, paper, glass, aluminum, and anything else that is recyclable. They sort it all out at the recycling center, so we don't have to separate it. They pick it up every other week and we have a 96 gallon bin for everything. I can actually go a full month between pickups. It's easy to recycle everything and it makes sense. The rest goes in the garbage. I break all my boxes down so they don't take up much space. Before I recycled, I would have three full size garbage cans full of garbage every week. Now I only have one.

I find it humorous when people complain about having to separate things and all the extra work it takes them. Grow up and do what is right. It doesn't matter if you are liberal, moderate, or conservative, recycling makes sense for all kinds of reasons. Those who are against it fall in the "stupid" category.

 

[boedicca]

Where this will inevitably lead:

Currently, we have a recycle bin for all recyclables. That includes plastics, paper, glass, aluminum, and anything else that is recyclable. They sort it all out at the recycling center, so we don't have to separate it. They pick it up every other week and we have a 96 gallon bin for everything. I can actually go a full month between pickups. It's easy to recycle everything and it makes sense. The rest goes in the garbage. I break all my boxes down so they don't take up much space. Before I recycled, I would have three full size garbage cans full of garbage every week. Now I only have one.

I find it humorous when people complain about having to separate things and all the extra work it takes them. Grow up and do what is right. It doesn't matter if you are liberal, moderate, or conservative, recycling makes sense for all kinds of reasons. Those who are against it fall in the "stupid" category.

What a statist moron.

 

[martybegan]

Where this will inevitably lead:

Currently, we have a recycle bin for all recyclables. That includes plastics, paper, glass, aluminum, and anything else that is recyclable. They sort it all out at the recycling center, so we don't have to separate it. They pick it up every other week and we have a 96 gallon bin for everything. I can actually go a full month between pickups. It's easy to recycle everything and it makes sense. The rest goes in the garbage. I break all my boxes down so they don't take up much space. Before I recycled, I would have three full size garbage cans full of garbage every week. Now I only have one.

I find it humorous when people complain about having to separate things and all the extra work it takes them. Grow up and do what is right. It doesn't matter if you are liberal, moderate, or conservative, recycling makes sense for all kinds of reasons. Those who are against it fall in the "stupid" category.

How about the government asks me to do it, instead of forcing me to do it via laws and punative fines.

 

[boedicca]

How about privatized trash processing companies having a tiered fee system? If you go through the trouble of sorting into more categories, you pay less. If you don't, then they charge you more? Why do we need government nannies telling us what to do with our garbabe?

 

[Mr. H.]

Where this will inevitably lead:

Currently, we have a recycle bin for all recyclables. That includes plastics, paper, glass, aluminum, and anything else that is recyclable. They sort it all out at the recycling center, so we don't have to separate it. They pick it up every other week and we have a 96 gallon bin for everything. I can actually go a full month between pickups. It's easy to recycle everything and it makes sense. The rest goes in the garbage. I break all my boxes down so they don't take up much space. Before I recycled, I would have three full size garbage cans full of garbage every week. Now I only have one.

I find it humorous when people complain about having to separate things and all the extra work it takes them. Grow up and do what is right. It doesn't matter if you are liberal, moderate, or conservative, recycling makes sense for all kinds of reasons. Those who are against it fall in the "stupid" category.

I was told NOT to break down the boxes because automatic separators confuse them with flat paper.

I'm still waiting for my recycle bin to be delivered. We also compost, and have a trash compactor. Altho those damn compactor bags are $2 a pop.

 

[TemplarKormac]

LOL we aren't that bad here. we dump all our paper and plastic and metals in one wheelie and that's it! Leave it to liberals to make things so damned complicated. But hey, I'm just a redneck Earth hating conservative! What the hell do I know?