GREEN BUSINESS VIEWS

The state of Illinois recognizes a serious problem with the amount of trash going our of businesses, schools, and government facilities.  This is a national problem, but the most effective solutions come from initiatives with a grass root involvement.

the governor of Illinois, Pat Quinn, recently signed SB99 into law, which encourages food waste to be commercially composted within the state and sold all throughout the country. Current Illinois rules provide only that business owners have the option to compost locally, but cannot transport their organic composting to another location or sell it.

This new law also gives businesses the ability to separate their food scraps from garbage to be composted into a reuasable product.  The composting law goes into effect in January of 2010.  Indiana and Iowa already have similar laws promoting composting projects.  Organic waste comprises about 20% of munipal solid waste, and can provide a rich soil additive once the composting process is completed.  Illinois is finally stepping up to the smart way to handle the increasingly troublesome problem of land fill management.

The founder and executive director of SCARCE (School & Community Assistance for Recycling and Composting Education), Kay McKeen, says this type of composting will benefit both the local environment and the general economy.  “This bill will benefit farmers, haulers, businesses, and is good for the soil, our water and for the environment,” remarks McKeen. “There are bills out there that are good for everyone and this is one of them.”  It seems that no one would disagree since trash in a huge problem with immense attached costs.

All states must continue to follow U.S. EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) regulations and retrieve permits while making such changes, the new legislation allows smaller composters to get started.   A new form of business will emerge for those interested in a new green job or business.  Every city should start project to collect and compost their organic trash.  Of course, the ability to sell the final product is another source of revenue.  Many composting projects sell their composted soil to farmers who can enrich their soil without fertilizers.

Certain businesses like grocery stores, restaurants, schools, and assisted living homes seem like the best sources for composting projects.  The first challenge is to organize the project in a way that allows free enterprise to pay for the cost rather than another charge to the local government.  This opens the door for an enterprising person to get the sanction of local official to collect the separated wast and take it to a site for composting.  It would seem that the investment is light compared to a steady environmentally-driven opportunity.

The new Illinois law excludes food scraps from the definition of normal garbage.  The new definition of garbage will speed up the new composting effort and reduce the cost of obtaining permits.  When food scraps are defined as trash, the ability to compost is nearly prohibited.  This new law is smart legislation that has immediate and profound impact on a variety of environmental benefit as well as the creation new green jobs.

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