SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) – Residents and businesses in San Francisco will be required to compost food scraps and other biodegradables starting Wednesday, or risk fines for not properly sorting their garbage.

Mayor Gavin Newsom signed a mandatory recycling legislation in June, which requires residential and commercial building owners to sign up for recycling and composting services.

While several other cities require recycling service and participation, SF is the first to make the collection of food scraps and other compostables mandatory.

"San Francisco has the best recycling and composting programs in the nation, and we’ve already attained an impressive, and first in the nation, 72 percent recycling rate because of them," said Mayor Newsom. "I am pleased with the leadership the Board of Supervisors has demonstrated on this important legislation. By collaborating with all of our stakeholders, businesses, colleagues, and citizens, we can build on our success and continue to lead the nation in recycling."

According to the San Francisco Department of the Environment, if all of the recyclable and compostable materials currently going to landfills were captured by the city’s programs, San Francisco's recycling rate would soar from 72 percent to 90 percent.

No fines are specified in the ordinance, but there is a cap of $100 established for residences and businesses that generate less than one cubic yard of refuse per week, which is the equivalent of six 32-gallon carts. Fines higher than $100 may still apply to businesses and to landlords of large apartment buildings who refuse to offer recycling and composting opportunities to tenants when feasible.

For detailed information on residential composting, visit: http://www.sfenvironment.org/our_programs/interests.html?ssi=3&ti=6&ii=225

(Copyright 2009, KRON 4, All rights reserved.)