Dive Brief:

• Minneapolis rolled out the first phase of a program for residents to collect and recycle food scraps and other compostable items in order to reduce waste in the city's landfill.
• The first phase of the program is for residents in the "green zone." The program starts for "orange zone" users in spring 2016. So far, 29% of Minneapolis Solid Waste & Recycling customers have signed up to participate.

• Carts will be distributed for residents and businesses to recycle fruits, vegetables, bones, meat, breads, eggshells and other food scraps.

Dive Insight:

Curbside composting is available in many cities, though not without controversy.

In Oakland, CA, restaurant owners balked at higher composting prices. In Seattle, residents sued over what they considered "trash snooping" by the city to keep compostable material out of the trash.

Yet the drive toward "zero waste" must include food scraps. Food waste is the largest category of household waste, with more than 36 million tons being disposed of each year in the U.S., according to Forbes.