Organic Recycling

Everyone knows we should recycle plastic, glass, aluminum and paper--or at least, we know we're supposed to. But for leftover Chinese takeout and other kitchen scraps, which make up around 30% of our residential garbage stream, there are usually only two options: do the messy work of making compost for the backyard garden--or toss the glop down the disposal or into the trash.

But San Franciscans like Ellisa Feinstein have another option for their organic waste: put it out on the curb with the glass, plastic and paper, where it will be picked up and recycled by the city. For the past several years, San Francisco has offered curbside recycling of food scraps, shipping leftovers to industrial-scale composting facilities, which process 300 tons of organic waste a day. For Feinstein, the curbside program allows her to salve her green conscience without the ickiness that came from composting her own used tea bags.

"It's great because it helps me do my job of diverting garbage from the landfill," she says. "And it's really easy."

Read the entire story from Time magazine here.

For more information on recycling organic products in Missouri, check out Missouri Organic at http://www.missouriorganic.com/index.html.