New York City has a composting mandate that’s been in effect since October, but now the powers that be are getting serious about implementing it, meaning, they’re levying fines on buildings/landlords who don’t comply and separate organic material from other detritus.

“But despite the mandate, the participation rate is abysmal: Public data indicates less than 5% of the city’s organic waste is actually being composted,” Gothamist reported.

Meanwhile, NYC landlords fume over new composting fines turning them into dumpster divers: ‘Detached from reality, wrote the New York Post.

So, nu?

For the climate-conscious, “Rotting organic waste dumped in landfills is generally bad for the environment. As it breaks down, it releases methane into the atmosphere, which contributes to climate change,” said Gothamist. But it seems “Some of the organic waste gets sent to the city’s Newtown Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant (Project to convert NYC compost to heating fuel goes offline weeks after launching), where it produces methane that’s burned off to produce energy. The practice has attracted criticism from environmental advocates who say it goes against the spirit of composting because it produces methane and waste that ends up in landfills.”

Did we miss something? Besides the lack of 360 degree thinking? And therein lies the rub. 360 thinking that falls a few hundred degrees short and leads to other and potentially even more serious problems.

Supposedly this composting measure will also cut down on the city’s vermin problem. But with organic waste collected in plastic bins on city streets, how will that cut down on the problem, considering that rats can easily eat through plastic, and the bins will only be emptied weekly? With summer coming, when the temperature in the city skyrockets, we can only imagine the odors, qua rat crack, that will be emanating from those containers, some of which are metal, but those have an open chute. Which of course makes for a perfect spawning ground for new rat families.

Speaking of being eco-conscious, the City et al has also long discouraged the distribution of single-use plastic bags for groceries. Stores do provide paper bags, for a small fee, and not a good idea to shop sans a reusable in a rainstorm. Been there, done that and don’t try this yourself at home. Also, do people clean their reusable bags, which are bacterial breeding grounds?

NYC has had recycling rules in place for over 35 years – separating plastic, cardboard and newspapers from the rest of the trash – yet The New York Times noted that as of 2020, New York recycles only about a fifth of its trash.

“I heard basically all recycling gets sent to a poor country and ends up in their landfills. The whole thing is a scam, apparently,” one Redditor pointed out.

If the idea is to cut down on the plastic footprint, and while we’re no fan of microplastics, (An Expert Explains The Real Dangers of Microplastics to Human Health) are plastic grocery bags really the big problem? Or is it simply easier to target consumers than Big Business? If you’ve ever shopped for groceries, you might have noticed that frozen foods are sold in plastic. As are soft drinks, water, staples and condiments such as ketchup, mustard, mayo. In fact, the majority of center-aisle groceries are sold in – plastic containers! As is milk. Some milk is sold in cardboard containers – lined with plastic for durability and to eliminate cardboard imparting its flavor to the product. And when choosing your fruit and vegetables, what do you place them in? Plastic bags!

“Meanwhile, thicker plastic bags labelled “reusable” have been introduced following bans on lightweight “single-use” plastic bags,” said The Conversation. “While these durable bags may be reused for months at a time, they will eventually wear out and then they are even harder to break down in landfill.”

So, where’s the 360 degree thinking?

For perspective, “A plastic fishing line might take 600 years to break down in nature or a landfill. A plastic bottle might take 450 years. Dental floss might take decades. But in a Harvard lab, a recently discovered microbe can begin to break down virtually any type of plastic within days. Fast Company reported.  “Carbios, another startup, uses an enzyme from bacteria to break down one type of plastic, PET, so it can be recycled into new plastic.”

Which doesn’t solve the microplastics problem now does it? 360 degree thinking, guys.

Microplastics, aka forever chemicals, “are tiny particles less than 5 millimeters in size that break off from larger plastic items and industrial waste over time,” the New York Post explained. “They’re everywhere, from the beauty products you use to the food you eat, the water you drink and the air you breathe. That means they’re inside our bodies, too. Scientists have found microplastics in human lungs, livers, kidneys, hearts, blood, testicles and even breast milk — and some researchers uncovered an entire spoonful of them in human brains.”

“But recycling is difficult. Less than 10% of the world’s plastic has been recycled,” The Conversation continued in its piece on plastic v paper straws. “Swapping one problematic or hazardous material for another is sometimes called “regrettable substitution”, because the replacement has its own issues. For example, one harmful chemical used to make plastics is often replaced with others that are as bad or worse.

“Paper straws, like paper cups, are often coated with plastics such as polyethylene or acrylic resin. This makes them difficult to recycle but also raises the risk of pollution. Some paper straws have been shown to contain more “forever chemicals” (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS) than plastic.

It’s disheartening that governments don’t engage is 360 degree thinking, but startups aren’t doing much much better at addressing the recycling problems.

For entrepreneurs, ‘problem’ is another word for ‘opportunity,’ and it’s high time that founders started thinking outside of the plastic bag, which is not what the current set of plastic reduction-focused founders seem to be doing as they focus on swapping one kind of plastic for another. Which rather than being a viable solution, is little more than straw man thinking.

Onward and forward.