18 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY may 11-17, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com To the Worms Great piece on commercial composting in Monterey County and the restrictions (some reasonable/some not) placed by ReGen (“A recently enacted state law aiming to keep food waste out of landfills presents great challenges, but also a vital opportunity,” May 4-10). It was thorough enough to inform the reader/residents of the process and the variables. Nice job of widening your lens to note some other cities’ plans and equipment and how well those cities have partnered with the residents to help their programs be successful. Those cities chose to trust the intelligence of their taxpayers to follow instructions re: which/what bags to use, thus working hard to be sure the entire composting plan is accepted and successful. I’m hopeful ReGen will realize its flawed decision on compostable bags for our bins, because without them, the slime from ReGen’s decision may ooze all over the acceptance of the overall plan. d’Aulan Gentry | Pacific Grove Here are the issues with local composting via Greenwaste: • Leaving compost in a 64-gallon bin results in maggots, flies, slime, bacteria and decay. • Leaving that bin out to be tipped over and scattered by raccoons isn’t a solution. • Now, if I could bag the garbage, that would solve the problem but the local processor will not let us get around these problems because they refuse to accept certified compostable bags. • So it’s up to me to live with the rot in the bins, the garbage in the streets and to wash the bins out each week then? Look: I’m heading toward 80 and cannot be crawling around inside trash bins to wash them out. Not even sure I could physically do it. Neither do I have a desire to go clean up the street each week of scattered garbage. • Besides that, we’re in the middle of a drought. Is washing out bins the best use for water? • I try to be a good citizen. I’m now out just under $100 for the compostable bags I bought but I cannot use. • After being forced to discard my compostable bags, the only thing I could think of was a garbage disposal, so I spent a few hundred dollars to buy a new one and have it installed, only to later learn that’s only a partial solution, and much of the food we eat cannot be used in a disposal. Here I am: So far I’ve spent nearly $400 being a “good citizen” and it was all for naught. [Local waste haulers] need to provide a rational, workable solution to resolve all the problems this creates, instead of the thoughtless and short-sighted “solution” they have imposed on us so far. Their solution is worse than the problem. Tracy Valleau | Marina Thank you for writing about this important issue. We waste so much food it is shameful. I love that there may be some legal movement regarding accurate labeling on when to use foods! So many people toss food when it reaches the “best by” date when it is perfectly good. We simply cannot afford to live like that anymore. We all need to take on our responsibility for creating less waste, stop using plastic, and move into a new age of conscious and reduced consumption. Kudos to California for being a leader on this. I hope the legislature takes it forward in clearer food product labeling with SB 660. Susan Schiavone | Seaside Crisis Point Another disheartening story about DLI, where I worked for over seven years (“The Defense Language Institute saw three educators die by suicide in 2022,” May 4-10). In my experience, the benefits of new products are often oversold and, if they are found wanting, low-level employees are blamed. Moreover, they labor in an environment where favoritism is rife. Suicide prevention efforts work best when the person who reaches out for help has a sudden setback in their life—counselors can talk them through it. But toxic work environments are a long-term source of emotional debilitation from which there is no escape except by resigning. Elizabeth Bowditch | Seaside Gun Safety Nice perspective (“Every gun death is a preventable death,” posted May 3). There are gun statutes concerning gun safety and gun storage. Those who acquire and use guns for illegal purposes should be prosecuted to the maximum extent of the law. No excuses. J.R. Roland | Monterey Thank you for a sensitive, thoughtful discussion of gun ownership and the sometimes tragic consequences. A very touching, moving and provocative piece. Elliot Ruchowitz-Roberts | Carmel Lights On Bravo to the Seaside Police Department (“Seaside Police Department will launch a program to pay for vehicle repairs in lieu of tickets,” May 4-10). Great way to protect and serve the community! Alan Romero | Monterey air and fire Let’s keep them local. And unionized (“Monterey Regional Airport’s search for fire protection services turns out to be a controversial battle,” posted May 2). Gilbert Vega | Seaside Fan Club I liked your story about Monterey Bay F.C. (“Monterey Bay F.C. has the players, the stadium and the look. In year two, the question is whether the fans will follow,” April 27-May 3). The Monterey Peninsula/Salinas Valley split you discuss sounds familiar; I think most teams struggle with that marketing conundrum. For what it’s worth, Austin had a couple of tries in the USL Championship, and we never got beyond the attendance level y’all are at; we felt like 4,000 fans was a huge success. I still don’t understand the business plan for a minor league soccer team; I think it depends on developing players, and selling them on to a higher level, more than it does on attendance. Nick Barbaro | Austin, Texas Letters • CommentsOPINION Submit letters to the editor to letters@mcweekly.com. Please keep your letter to 150 words or less; subject to editing for space. Please include your full name, contact information and city you live in.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjAzNjQ1NQ==