San Francisco Turns to Dumpster Diving to Manage Waste Streams

San Francisco auditors will begin dumpster diving at some of the city’s largest waste generators to ensure compostables, recyclables, and trash are properly sorted to cut down on the amount of garbage going to landfills.

The Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a measure Dec. 11 requiring visual audits of businesses that weekly generate 40 cubic yards of trash or more to ensure compliance with the city’s mandatory composting and recycling law, which seeks to eliminate waste going into landfills by 2030.

The once-every-three-year audits target some 400 accounts that cumulatively generate about 20 percent of San Francisco’s trash. ...