The Great Compost Debate: Can It Be Done In L.A. County?

Photo caption: Composting tomatoes. The French Laundry garden, Yountville, CA - 10.11.09. Photo by urbanfoodie33 via Flickr.

The question of whether or not L.A. County could champion a large-scale composting system is highly debatable, and some local governments in NorCal are making the green waste management system mandatory.

KPCC braved the question on Monday during an episode of "AirTalk." The station reports that "according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's 2009 report on municipal solid waste, food scraps make up about 33 percent of all discarded waste in local landfills; that's more than any other material that people throw out." L.A. County is the most populous county in California, so turning 1/3 of the county's waste into a reusable resource could, as KPCC says, do wonders for our mounting garbage issues.

Jeremy Drake, member of the Sierra Club's Zero Waste Coalition, told KPCC, "Three million tons of organic waste is being thrown in landfills in L.A. County every year. There are ways that we can manage that material in a responsible way. People might forget that four of the most productive agricultural counties are in Southern California." Drake believes the products of composting could be used to reduce dependence on irrigation and petrochemical fertilizers in agriculture.

But L.A.'s considerable population may be the very obstacle in the way of large-scale composting. Ron Saldana of the L.A. County Disposal Association told KPCC, "In Southern California it's pretty hard to find an area that isn't heavily populated. The permitting becomes, I think, the number one restriction. And certainly we do have to add these facilities, and the industry is working hard with all of the regulatory agencies to try to get more facilities online."

Saldana says that neighborhoods do not want compost facilities in their areas due to the stench, heat generated during the composting process and potential fire hazard risks. He added that compostable waste is trucked out of the region due to a lack of facilities, which adds to costs. Residents in NorCal areas that are implementing county or city-wide composting programs are "paying two to three times more... than in Southern California" in collection rates, according to Saldana, reminding listeners that "somewhere along the line somebody’s going to pay for it."

Los Angeles, I'm Yours asked today, "Can LA Do Composting?" and pointed to the KPCC story.

What do you think, L.A.? Doable?

Contact the author of this article or email tips@laist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Lauren Lloyd in News on December 6, 2011 5:00 PM 0 Comments

Comments [rss]

cghilty

The City of Los Angeles already subsidizes the citizens of Los Angeles to receive a backyard composter. One needs only show up at the Griffith Park composting facility run by the LA Sanitation department to claim one.
I have one in my back yard and it receives a portion of my yard greenery and the greens from my kitchen. The rest goes in my green bin which the city turns into mulch (which it gives away to residents for their gardens, etc).

http://www.ci.la.ca.us/san/sol...

Austin Beer

Just put the compost where it already stinks. the valley.

jessicacat

Compost doesn't have a stench at all when it is composted correctly. It smells earthy. People have been doing it in their yards and on their farms forever. Rather, it contributes to a healthy, organic, fertile environment. Also, it would not cost more to do here in Southern CA, especially if we turned city landfills into more environmentally responsible areas. We currently give HUGE subsidies to waste management corporations to deal with their polluting methane and stench, which could be solved if we got the organic matter out and turned it back into usable soil. There are places we could build these facilities, on small and large scales, that would not end up costing people more. If we have room for landfills in this city, we have room for composting and recycling facilities! It would stabilize waste costs, create more jobs, help keep our urban environment sustainable for our youth, and contribute to lessening the use of poisons and chemicals in our agriculture, and in turn, the water we drink and the air we breathe.