[A series documenting my efforts to eat local! Kick-off post's here]

Yay! Jodi Low, the market manager for the Main Street farmer’s market — which I’ve gotten better ’bout visiting — emailed to gimme some more details about the zero waste program.

How’d it all get started, I asked. Apparently, The model came from the Boulder Farmers’ Market in Colorado.

The main diff — and the main challenge for Santa Monica — is that while Boulder has an established “pack it in, pack it out” rule (as in take yer landfill trash with you) for trash that’s not biodegradeable or recycleable, many LA people aren’t okay with carrying around, say, dirty disposable diapers with them for long periods of time.

Getting the program off the ground took a collaborative effort between Santa Monica city departments (Solid Waste, Environmental Programs) and Sustainable Works. And in fact, some last details’re still being worked out before the program gets implemented in the other 3 farmers’ markets in Santa Monica.

Sez Jodi: “Our hope and goal was to lead by example and to create a model which is easily to duplicate and transfer to other events or Farmers’ Markets.”

The compostables, BTW, gets taken to Community Recycling in Bakersfield. As some of you may already know, some of the compostable cutlery can’t be composted in a “normal” composter; they have to be put in a “controlled composting environment.” This Bakersfield facility provides that :)

Of course, I still think that the farmers’ market could start a BYO program. For ex, start with just encouraging people to bring their own coffee mugs! Then work up to the plates and stuff, eventually eliminating the need for recycling or composting altogether –

Update: BTW — Our farmers’ market spinach is A-Ok :)

Update, 10/31/06: My beginning efforts to start a balcony garden –

Update, 3/12/07: Read the whole series, posted both here and on Treehugger.

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