Zero-waste initiatives gained momentum in 2019 and early 2020; with more states and cities supporting composting, enacting organics-to-landfill bans, and developing municipal-scale food-waste collection and recycling programs. Though not a nationwide movement — East and West Coast states are certainly ahead of other areas in the US — in a Spring 2020 Yale Program on Climate Change survey, 72 percent of US citizens acknowledge that global warming is happening, and 78 percent agree that schools should teach about global warming. Fast-forward almost a year, and much has changed because of the pandemic.
As a result of the pandemic, food-waste recycling programs were halted or delayed in some cities and towns due to budget constraints, social distancing requirements, or prioritization of financial and staffing resources. New York City suspended its curbside food waste recycling through June 2022, citing budget constraints; the same program in Cambridge, Massachusetts is still suspended because of social distancing requirements for truck personnel.
Composting continues in California; but LA Compost — a network of community composters who maintain compost hubs throughout Los Angeles County — suspended new member additions and closed some collection locations. In Portland, Oregon, the business food waste collection program that was set to start in March was delayed until September and then delayed a year, until March 31, 2021. Organizers say it was poor timing to start a new program. The question is, when will the timing improve?