SAN FRANCISCO officials and residents found out a few weeks ago that they were keeping
70 % of the disposable waste out of local landfills. The mayor embraced the statistic the way other mayors embrace winning sports teams, improved test scores or declining crime rates, but the city wants more.
So Mr. Newsom will soon be sending the city’s Board of Supervisors a proposal that would make the recycling of cans, bottles, paper, yard waste and food scraps mandatory instead of voluntary, on the pain of having garbage pickups suspended. “Without that, we don’t think we can get to 75 percent,” the mayor said of the proposal. His aides said it stood a good chance of passing.
With the exception of Chicago, which boasted a 55% rate in 2006 — the most recent year for which national comparisons are available — Eastern and Midwestern cities lagged well behind their California counterparts. According to the most recent annual survey of the trade magazine Waste News, in 2006 New York City was at 30.6%, Milwaukee at 24%, Boston at 16% and Houston at 2.5%.
San Francisco’s system is being noticed overseas. Mr. Blumenfeld’s calendar is full of meetings with officials from Germany and China, most of whom visit Norcal’s facilities, including the food-waste composting centers.
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