Vermont To Ban Throwing Food Scraps In Trash

Vermont set a precedent in waste conservation this month when it became the first U.S. state to ban food scraps in trash. The legislation, which took effect July 1, prohibits residents, restaurants, supermarkets and other businesses from disposing of food scraps ― such as peels, rinds, seeds eggshells, coffee grinds and meal leftovers ― into trash cans or other containers used for refuse. “If it was once part of something alive, like a plant or animal, it does not belong in the landfill,” officials say on the state’s website. The law requires Vermonters to collect their food scraps in a separate container.