No more stinky Garbage!

Naples has been in the news lately. The streets are filled with garbage, left there because of an impasse between the mafia-run garbage industry, compliant local officials, and desperate citizens whose lives and property values are threatened by a plan to re-open a poorly managed landfill. This is not a sudden crisis ~ it’s been going on for years. The European Union has censured the city repeatedly for managing its waste so badly. Now the EU is threatening to levy heavy fines on the city.

But if you look outside of Naples, you find 150 communities in Italy that are diverting from 70 – 90% of their waste. The secret, according to Italian waste expert Enzo Favoino, is “intensive separate collection of food waste.”

Based on waste sampling in these communities, separate collection of food waste removes over 90% of the fermentable (stinky) stuff from the garbage. What’s left doesn’t stink, allowing less frequent collection of garbage and recycling.

Toronto started separate collection of food waste, and they have been able to reduce their garbage service to every other week ~ to say nothing of reducing their garbage.

Now why doesn't Naples ~ or Vancouver ~ have such a sensible policy? It sure would have helped during last summer's garbage strike in this city.

(pic: Jan 5/08 AP)