Introduction
It’s that time of the week when your food waste pail is full, and you’re ready to walk your scraps out to the green-waste bin. (You are following your community’s rules about composting food scraps, aren’t you?)
But when you open the bin’s lid, you’re assaulted by a flurry of flies — who are perturbed by your unexpected visit.
These new neighbors, commonly gnats or house flies, are a predictable result of letting food rot in the container, said Gerry Villalobos, environmental specialist for the city of Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation.
“Until now, food waste has been layered between other materials in the black [trash] bin, preventing insects from accessing food scraps,” he said.
You can replicate that layering in your green bin — and the Bureau of Sanitation encourages it, as long as you use the appropriate items.
- Layer food waste between yard trimmings, paper bags, paper-based unlined takeout containers, and other food-soiled paper products.
- For example, the napkin you used to wipe your mouth after eating a messy sandwich is an accepted soiled paper product. If you’ve got a pizza box stained by grease on one side, cut the box in half: Toss the non-greasy half into the recycle bin, and use the greasy half as a layer in your green-waste bin.
- If you don’t do your own gardening, wait for the day landscapers work on your yard — and when they’re done, toss in your food scraps.
Villalobos also suggested waiting to place the food waste in the green bin until the night before or morning of your garbage pickup. One strategy is to freeze your food scraps until trash day.
Clean or rinse out your green bin occasionally — especially if you notice gunk or an odor. If you don’t, “organic waste will build up on the sides and bottom of the green bin, which can result in attracting more insects,” he said.
It’s also a good move to make sure your bin is in good condition — a broken bin or lid is like putting out a welcome mat for insects.
If your bin is damaged, call the Los Angeles Sanitation customer care center at (800) 773-2489 to have your bin replaced or repaired. (If you aren’t served by L.A. City Sanitation, contact your waste hauler.) Have your bin serial number (located on the front of the bin) handy, if possible, Villalobos said.
Other ways to use green waste
You can reduce how much food waste you’re putting in the green bin by finding other ways to use it.
Lauren Bash, a local environmentalist and sustainability content creator, and her mother, Adrianne Ferree, president of the Makers Hub, a Compton-based community maker-space, have been finding ways to compost or use their food scraps for years.
Ferree started 35 years ago by digging a hole in her garden and putting her food scraps in it.
When she worked for the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department, she helped pioneer their recycling, composting and vermiculture (worm-growing) programs through the Education Based Incarceration Bureau.
She recently retired and has continued this lifestyle with her backyard farm in Rancho Palos Verdes, where she’s been growing drought-tolerant produce like artichokes since 2014.
“I remember telling the kids when they were little, we were going to feed the earth, feed the plants,” Ferree said. “So we would always have some kind of little composting, even when we were in a condo.”
As a homeowner, Ferree has made space to have a composting system in her backyard, and you can too.
She made a turner for her food scraps, using old bicycle wheels and chicken wire, that she layers with mulch and food scraps and turns periodically. Ferree uses the resulting compost to fertilize her garden.
Her daughter, Bash, recently started sharing her indoor vermicompost (worm composting) journey on Instagram and TikTok.
Bash tends to her worms in an 18-by-18-inch, two-tiered bin in her Santa Monica apartment. She blends her food scraps with shredded brown paper, and her worms do the rest.
Bash and Ferree
SDGs, Targets, and Indicators
-
SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
- Target 12.3: By 2030, halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses.
- Indicator 12.3.1: Food loss index
-
SDG 15: Life on Land
- Target 15.5: Take urgent and significant action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biodiversity, and, by 2020, protect and prevent the extinction of threatened species.
- Indicator 15.5.1: Red List Index
Analysis
The article discusses the issue of food waste and provides tips on how to compost food scraps and reduce waste. Based on the content of the article, the following SDGs, targets, and indicators can be identified:
1. SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
The article addresses the issue of food waste and provides guidance on composting food scraps to reduce waste. This aligns with SDG 12, which aims to ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.
- Target 12.3: By 2030, halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses.
- Indicator 12.3.1: Food loss index
The article encourages individuals to compost their food waste, which contributes to reducing food waste at the consumer level. The target of halving per capita global food waste aligns with the article’s focus on composting and reducing waste. The indicator, food loss index, measures the amount of food lost or wasted along the production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses.
2. SDG 15: Life on Land
The article also mentions the importance of using green waste and composting to nourish plants and promote sustainable gardening practices. This aligns with SDG 15, which aims to protect, restore, and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems.
- Target 15.5: Take urgent and significant action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biodiversity, and, by 2020, protect and prevent the extinction of threatened species.
- Indicator 15.5.1: Red List Index
The article emphasizes the importance of composting and using green waste to nourish plants, which contributes to protecting natural habitats and promoting sustainable gardening practices. The target of halting the loss of biodiversity aligns with the article’s focus on sustainable gardening and composting practices. The indicator, Red List Index, measures changes in the extinction risk of species over time.
Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators
| SDGs | Targets | Indicators |
|---|---|---|
| SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production | Target 12.3: By 2030, halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses. | Indicator 12.3.1: Food loss index |
| SDG 15: Life on Land | Target 15.5: Take urgent and significant action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biodiversity, and, by 2020, protect and prevent the extinction of threatened species. | Indicator 15.5.1: Red List Index |
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Source: latimes.com
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