Earth starts to heal: Montana and Louisiana final two states to join nationwide composting initiatives

BATON ROUGE --  This week Montana and Louisiana state legislatures voted overwhelmingly in favor of bills that will make composting bins available as a regular part of waste collection, the last two states to do so in the nation.

Senator Bill Cassidy (R - LA), who previously made headlines during the Obama Administration for his unflagging support for Big Oil -- at one point arguing scientists could stop global warming if “they just shut up and made love to ice cubes” -- flabbergasted the Baton Rouge press corps Tuesday night by commending his state on this “wonderful albeit environmentally overdue legislation.”

“I’ve come to realize that taking care of our planet is more important than anything else. I mean, how can we even have an economy if we don’t create more sustainable practices?” Cassidy said in an interview with the Organic Growers Association. Cassidy cited a wide-ranging phone call with First Gentleman and organic garden buff Bill Clinton as the reason he changed his mind.

Institutional composting legislation has now passed in all 50 states, and some of the long-standing composting states such as Oregon have seen surprising business implications. With its 64 percent rise in community gardens over the past three years, traditional waste collection companies responsible for managing landfills are starting to go out of business. Herbicide companies are reporting losses, too. “The land is just too fertile. They don’t need us anymore” a major herbicide company spokesperson said.  

Will composting become the next big business battleground?

Only time will smell.