I'm not sure what my personal opinion on this is, because I don't live in a community where this is mandated. But as much as I think its great that more and more US cities are addressing waste removal challenges, it seems extreme to have three waste containers. However, some communities in Japan that operate with NO waste have as many as 30 trash bins. See video for more: http://www.newsy.com/videos/zero_waste_catches_on_worldwide

I think requiring it is going too far, although providing incentives is fine. I can imagine a lot of issues with implementation, too -- what do you do about people living in multi-family dwellings, for example? If there are multiple cans for each tenant, then it might get pricey, and who can tell if one tenant does it incorrectly?

I think composting and recycling should be mandatory.

i think you should move to san francisco

thanks! I've always wanted to visit. I hear the food scene is great. -- KW

KW, the food scene is great. And composting is fantastic! Of course, Baltimore couldn't jump straight into composting. SF has had three bins (including the green for yard and food waste) for many years so residents have had plenty of time to adjust. The switch from optional to mandatory is just the next step. It helps divert up to half of the solid waste stream for many households and can generate revenue for cash-strapped cities by selling finished compost as fertilizer. Of course, those with a yard and enough space might be better off starting their own compost heap, but municipal compost takes that burden off the individual. My vote is an optional program in Baltimore to start, moving to "mandatory" in a half decade. Keep in mind, enforcement is near impossible...they are really on the lookout for egregious violations and hope making it official will inspire people to act.
Thanks, jm, for the insight. An optional program would be a good start.

We should definitely move towards mandatory composting, starting with optional bins. It's the logical next step from recycling to get our trash output down. I do think there'd be a lot of pushback to a proposal like this, due to rats.

The Atlantic Maritimes do this in Canada, and they even bring you soil as a benefit. San Fran's program is great too, as mentioned above

JM has made some excellent points. A optional composting program in Baltimore would be welcomed by many residents. As trash pickup has changed to once a week and more residents are encouraged to create edible gardens, city composting would be the next logical step.

I worked for a company that composted substantial amounts of their waste during the first half of the year. The process is simple, you sepperate out your organic garbage (including meat, dairy, and biodegradable materials like pizza boxes) from your recycling (you can recycle most plastics and metals, even plastic bags) and you don't wind up with much trash anymore. It turns out, industrial scale composting is actually cheaper than landfills, because the material is turned into a useable product, then resold. The fact that we don't have the option to compost in the city led me to start a compost bin, but it can't process the same quantities or even the same breadth of materials that industrial composting can, and its a lot less efficient. So, I'm not just in favor of it, I'm evangelical about it. Composting is the most efficient and cost effective way to deal with the vast majority of our trash. The store I worked for (My Organic Market) managed to cut something like 85% of their trash output by investing the time to sort compost and recycling out.