Seattle residents publicly shamed by city for not composting

SEATTLE, Jan. 27 (UPI) -- Residents too lazy to separate food waste from regular trash and recyclables in Seattle will now be publicly shamed by the city.

Residents who don't put compostable materials like food and yard waste in a separate bin for pickup will not only be fined, but will also be embarrassed in front of their neighbors.

The move stems from a new law in Seattle that took place Jan. 1.

The new Seattle Public Utilities rule allows sanitation workers to take a cursory look into the garbage bins they collect. If they see more than 10 percent of the bin contains compostable material, they can then leave a ticket saying the resident should expect to see a $1 fine on their next bill. The rule applies to single-family homes.

This ticket comes in the form of a bright red sticker placed directly on the bin for all to see.

The same rule applies to apartment buildings and businesses as well, but they will receive two warnings and then be fined $50 on the third violation. Their Dumpsters will be inspected on a random basis.

"Right now I'm tagging probably every fifth can," Rodney Watkins, a lead driver for Recology CleanScapes, a waste contractor for Seattle, told KUOW-TV, Seattle. "I don't know if that's just the holidays, or the fact that I'm actually paying a lot more attention."

The SPU said they do not expect to collect much money from fines with the measure, but to raise awareness and encourage recycling to get on pace for a recycling rate of 60 percent by the end of the year. Progress toward that recycling goal has ebbed in recent years and even fell between 2012 and 2013 in residential homes.

The city won't start collecting fines until July. The red tickets serve as a cursory warning.

Aileen Graef contributed to this report.