On Thanksgiving, it’s estimated Americans wasted a whopping 312 million pounds of food, according to the national non-profit ReFED.
And while some people in San Luis Obispo County are converting leftovers into family traditions…
“We have traditions where we do tortas. So, like, we'll cook the leftover turkey and stuff,” said Mel Gonzalez, San Miguel resident.
Many others just toss their leftover food into the trash.
But where should we really be throwing out our organic food waste?
The answer is… our green bins.
It was almost a year ago when California implemented a composting law mandating the separation of organic materials from regular garbage. However, that’s news to a surprising number of people.
“That's really cool. I actually didn't know that,” Gonzalez said.
“I think it's very interesting to know that because not a lot of people know it,” said Gail Pasquini, Pismo Beach resident.
“I had no idea,” admitted Andrew Elms, Morro Bay resident.
The benefits of composting include reducing greenhouse gas emissions and enhancing the health of the soil.
Yet, for some of our community members like Joan Florence in Pismo Beach, there are challenges.
“I tried it a couple of times, but just because I don't have anything else in there, it just runs out the bottom into my carport and makes a big mess,” Florence, said.
Since plastic isn't allowed in green bins, compostable bags are a great solution to avoid any mess. And for some businesses like Novo in downtown San Luis Obispo that have been composting for years, there’s just no other way.
“We are just so happy to be able to support our community in this way and we really do encourage everybody to take part in this if they can,” said Isabella Curtoni, Director of Marketing for Blue Management.
To find out what items go in your green bin you can read more here.
