As of Monday, February 1,2010, SFHP no longer has garbage bins at people’s desks. The city of San Francisco, in all of its cutting edge-ness, has put a mandatory composting law into effect. Residents and businesses have six weeks to get their rears in gear and then the fining begins. I have heard tell that SF residents are rather thrilled about this, but the attitude at work is slightly different.
So far today, every time I have walked into the kitchen there has been some one hovering above the recycling and compost bins trying to figure out what goes where. There’s been some general grumbling about it and some rumored rebellion (confirmed, but on the DL). But most of all there's just a whole lot of, "Does this go in the recycling? Is this compost? Maybe it just belongs in Landfill. It's plastic, but it it the sort of plastic that's recyclable?" Etc., etc.
It really has been quite amusing to watch how coworkers are reacting to the disappearance of the little black bins. Thanks to my eco-conscious roommate we've been composting at home for about 3 months now, so I know the system pretty well. My only problem is figuring out what to do with my gum, used tissues, and candy wrappers. (Do I really have to walk to the kitchen every time I have a non-recyclable item to get rid of?) Given my months of practice, I was able to enjoy a couple laughs at the expense of my coworkers. There were several heated debates as to whether a biodegradable cup should go in recycling or compost. One woman boldly declared she had thrown trash in her personal recycling and it was gone this morning, so she'll keep it up. Another coworker ask, "Do they compost in Oakland? I think I'm moving there."
Amazing how people can be thrown into such a tizzy when something as simple as throwing away your trash suddenly becomes a matter of choice and system. Change is not so easily accepted when you mess with a personal black bin.
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