to the editor: The city of Los Angeles seems to be shooting itself in the foot regarding the composting problem (“Why food scraps travel more than 100 miles and how one Los Angeles council member wants to stop it”. June 24). Instead of looking to boost composting infrastructure, the city should focus on how to collect more green waste.
While Los Angeles has provided green bins for residents to collect food waste from their homes, the program has not worked as well as expected. Not only do those living in single-family homes not use the bins enough, but many large apartment buildings are exempt from green bins as they participate in recycLA. The more single-family houses are replaced by large apartments, the less food waste is collected and landfills grow.
By allowing more and larger apartment complexes to be built, the city is hindering its own food waste goals. Imagine how much green waste could be collected from apartments across the city if green bins were placed next to the blue and black ones.
Since 2016, the state has ordered a gradual increase in the amount of organic waste diverted to landfills. By 2025, the city should have diverted 75% of waste from landfills, but has not done so.
I suggest that the city develop a program to collect food and green waste from additional sources such as apartments, businesses, and any other buildings that generate food waste. That 75% goal won't be reached anytime soon if the city reduces the number of homes that use eco-friendly containers and adds apartments that don't.
Mary Wiser, Van Nuys
