Mandatory Organics Recycling to Become Law in Vermont

Vermont has passed a law phasing in mandatory recycling and composting of food and organic waste, eventually banning those materials from landfills.

Vt. Gov. Peter Shumlin signed into law House Bill 485 that calls for all residents to recycle or compost food waste by 2020 and prohibits the disposal of recyclable and compostable materials in landfills.

The law takes effect July 1, and the phasing-in begins with large food waste generators in 2014.

During the phase-in period the law will require waste haulers to collect yard waste as well as food waste. It calls for the number of recycling containers to equal the number of waste bins in public facilities.

The goal is for Vermont to move toward sending a minimal amount of waste to landfills while maximizing recycling and composting, the governor said in a statement. “Moving towards universal recycling will advance Vermont into the next generation of solid waste management and keep more waste out of our landfills,” he said.

The state currently recycles 36 percent of its waste,  but the rest can be reccyled, the governor states.