Seattle Says Yes to Compost, Yes to Bees

[Judi Lynn]

Published on Wednesday, September 24, 2014

by Common Dreams

Seattle Says Yes to Compost, Yes to Bees

Resolution bans "neonics" in city; ordinance encourages reduction of food waste

by Andrea Germanos, staff writer

The Seattle City Council on Monday unanimously passed an ordinance that could lead to more composting and less food waste in the city.

Under the ordinance, which updates the current municipal code, starting next year businesses will be fined $50 and homeowners $1 per collection if they put compostable food waste or compostable paper products into the trash.

The aim of the ordinance is to help the city reach its adopted recycling goals of 60% in 2015 and 70% in 2022.

"If we just get ourselves into the mindset of, OK, we're going to recycle our bottles, our papers, our cans, just as we've been doing for the past 25 years, and now we're going to compost the stuff in your kitchen, really easy to reduce the amount of stuff that's going to a landfill," said Councilmember Sally Bagshaw, who sponsored the measure.

In another green move, the City Council unanimously passed a resolution to ban the use of neonicotinoids—a class of pesticides linked to the decline of bees—within the city.

More:
http://www.commondreams.org/news/2014/09/24/seattle-says-yes-compost-yes-bees

[Sherman A1]

1. Excellent!

One can only hope this is the beginning of similar legislation across the country.

[dixiegrrrrl]

2. Now if only the King County follows suit.

The bee population in the city is unlikely to be very big, but will be bigger in the county.
and then they can move for a state ban.
Which may or may not be popular in Eastern Washington. The fruit tree growers over there probably would support it.

[Cha]

3. Kick for Seattle.. love their environmentalist hearts! Mahalo Judi Lynn~

[Trillo]

4. Just FYI, neonicotinoids also kill termites

and are said one of the better termite killers, because they can't detect the poison to avoid it. I don't know if termites are a problem in Oregon, but they are in Southern California.

The problem with the bees and colony collapse seems its use on commercial agriculture, fields in which bees and keepers are "hired" to pollinate crops, because imadicloprid and its various brand names is a systemic pesticide, meaning the roots of plants pick it up and the poison circulates throughout the plant, which is why the bees pick it up in the pollen. Its use against termites, injected under house foundations and injected into framing wood infested with or subject to termites would seem to confer little if any danger to bees.

I'm watching these blanket bans against the pesticide in some amazement, instead of targeted and more reasonable bans only against its uses where its a danger to bees.