There Is A New Mandatory Law Requiring Vermonters To Compost Food Waste In Order To Make Vermont Greener

Several years ago, 2012 to be exact, the Vermont Legislature resolved in the decision to pass the Universal Recycling Law. The unanimous decision to adopt Act 148 (Universal Recycling Law) takes effect on July 1st, 2020, and bans food scraps from trash bins, along with "blue-bin" recyclables and clean yard debris. This new law will highlight Vermont's sustainable and green effort to push the state towards a more environmentally conscious place to live.

This new law makes it illegal to throw away food scraps (kitchen wastes, organics) in your main trash can beginning on July 1st of 2020.

Since 2017, waste haulers have been offering recycling and food scrap collection services in preparation for 2020 when the law takes effect.

Individuals, households, and businesses have had ample time to figure out how to dispose of their organic food waste.

For nonresidential individuals and multi-unit apartment complexes, mandatory food scrap collection services have been put in order by the Universal Recycling Law.

According to the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation, roughly half of all waste in Vermont shouldn't be in our landfills. Composting and recycling properly will allow for more sustainable practices and better efficiency and utilization of organic waste.

For more information about the Universal Recycling Law and Vermont's further recycling and composting initiatives, visit the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation here.

Moving forward, to make our beautiful state even more green and sustainable, how do you plan on taking steps to become more environmentally aware?  Let us know in the comment section below.