Disease Proof

• San Francisco already has the highest recycling rate in the United States, with 72%. And now, city officials are poised approve more recycling legislation. The new ordinance would require residential and commercial building owners to sign up for composting and recycling services; via Green Inc.

• Wal-Mart is greening up too. Wal-Mart owns Sam’s Club and Sam’s Club is clearing their shelves of things like power tools and making room for eco-friendly products like water-saving toilets. The move is in response to customers’ demand for ways to cut expenses and lower bills; from Shop Talk.

• Livestock is a major contributor of global warming greenhouse gases and the average Belgian citizen eats 1,800 animals in their lifetime. So, officials from the city of Ghent are proposing a “Veggie Day” urging its 240,000 residents to give up meat for one day a week; Environment explains.

• Philadelphia is installing solar-powered trash-compacting garbage cans throughout the city. By July, 500 BigBelly trash cans will be deployed, saving the city $12.9 million over 10 years. Regular garbage cans need to be emptied 19 times a week, the composters only need 5 empties a week; EcoGeek reports.

• People in the U.K. want more green! A new survey showed 75% of Britons think public money should go into renewable energy, 60% want more funding devoted to setting up solar panels and 53% insist companies responsible for the most pollution should pay higher taxes; via Green Living Tips.

• Don’t go swimming in Brooklyn. New York’s beaches are closed due to concerns over sewage. So, if you try taking a dip, you’ll get arrested. It happened to one man when he ignored an officer’s warning and hit the surf. Officials will only reopen the beaches once more testing has been done; TreeHugger explains.

Image credit: snake.eyes