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New waste bins in Washington, D.C., are helping to fight climate change.
This year, D.C. installed about 30 smart bins on sidewalks across the city where people can drop off food waste like table scraps.
When food waste breaks down in a landfill, it produces methane, a powerful planet-warming gas. But the waste in these bins goes to a facility to become compost instead.
The smart bins are rat-proof and can be opened with a keypad code or an app that also tells people which items are compostable.
Just eight weeks after installation, the new bins had collected 65,000 pounds of food waste.
Johnson: “From zero to 65,000 pounds, that’s incredible.”
John Johnson of the D.C. Department of Public Works says the smart bins are part of a citywide effort to keep waste out of landfills.
Residents can also dispose of food waste at drop-off events, and some homes and small apartment buildings have food waste picked up curbside.
But the new bins give anyone a way to compost 24/7.
Johnson: “This gives residents more of an opportunity, particularly those that live in multifamily buildings.”
He says the smart bins have been so successful that the city is looking at expanding the program to keep even more food waste out of landfills.
Reporting credit: Ethan Freedman / ChavoBart Digital Media
