NEWFANE — There are a lot of questions regarding the Vermont mandatory composting law that starts July 1.
First: What is the goal? To change the location of methane gas emission? Because that will be the result.
There will be the same amount of waste; it will just be spread around. And I do mean spread around.
I composted for years and stopped due to the proliferation of wild animals attracted to my property to partake of my generosity and out of respect for my neighbors who were uncomfortable with said visitors.
I will not be buying an expensive composting accelerator as I'm 99 percent sure a bear would make short work of tearing it up.
Then there are the meat scraps, fats, oils, pet waste, and dairy products. It is not recommended that they be composted like fruit and vegetable scraps. Not to mention that they are significantly more stinky and they attract flies and other bugs.
The rule against bird feeders should become null and void as they will not be the culprits any longer.
I wonder how landlords and renters will handle the issue. What happens to the fast-food waste stuffed into the trash containers? Will someone have to sort and separate? It seems like this will be an added expense for food outlets. Does anyone anticipate a negative impact on our waterways?
I think this rule is destined to have a lot of unintended and unpleasant consequences.