The hosts on Monday's NBC Today were all in agreement that New City Mayor Michael Bloomberg forcing all residents to sort out rotten food scraps from their garbage for composting – and to hold on to the refuse for days – was a "great idea" that would be "good for the environment." [Listen to the audio or watch the video after the jump]
Co-host Matt Lauer briefly explained the program: "[Bloomberg] wants you to take your food scraps, put them in a container about the size of a picnic basket in your home, hold them for a few days and then later put them in some larger...containers out on the sidewalk....This is going to be part of a voluntary program at first, which will then become a mandatory program." He added that "they've tried it with a few pilot programs here in New York and the participation was very high."
Fellow co-host Savannah Guthrie briefly worried: "The first thought I have is won't it smell?" News reader Natalie Morales wondered: "Does it seal out the rodents? Because you know, the rodents in New York City, they're like, they can open anything." Guthrie joked: "They love this policy."
Lauer assured them: "Yes, but you're sealing it....Apparently it's like one of these Tupperware – not to give a name brand – but Tupperware-type containers that does seal with a click, so it won't stink in your apartment."
Putting aside all skepticism of a local government forcing citizens by law to sort through their garbage, weatherman Al Roker proclaimed: "I think it's a great idea." Morales agreed: "No, it's good for the environment and composting is – I've done it in the past. It's really – it's good." Lauer touted: "And by the way, other cities have tried this with great success."
Roker asserted: "And so you're not sending stuff to landfills, which also not only is good for the environment but saves like millions of bucks." Lauer replied: "No question about it."
Here is a full transcript of the June 17 discussion:
8:09AM ET
MATT LAUER: We're back now, 8:09, with What's Trending Today. Our round up of the hottest items online. We all recycle here? Raise your hands.
[ALL THE HOSTS RAISE THEIR HANDS]
NATALIE MORALES: Yeah, of course, we have to...
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: By law.
MORALES: ...it's the law.
LAUER: Exactly right. You take your plastics and everything else and you separate them.
MORALES: Newspapers, cardboard.
LAUER: New York's Mayor Michael Bloomberg has less than a year in office. He now wants to try something else. He wants New Yorkers to start separating food items from their garbage for composting. That's right, he wants you to take your food scraps, put them in a container about the size of a picnic basket in your home, hold them for a few days and then later put them in some larger dispensal – or disposal items or containers out on the sidewalk.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Playing With Our Food; Plan to Sort Food Scraps at Home]
This is going to be part of a voluntary program at first, which will then become a mandatory program. And apparently they've tried it with a few pilot programs here in New York and the participation was very high.
GUTHRIE: Alright, the first thought I have is won't it smell? I mean if you keep-
LAUER: Yes, but you're sealing it.
GUTHRIE: You're sealing it, so it'll seal in the smell.
AL ROKER: Exactly.
MORALES: Does it seal out the rodents? Because you know, the rodents in New York City, they're like, they can open anything.
GUTHRIE: They love this policy.
LAUER: Apparently it's like one of these Tupperware – not to give a name brand – but Tupperware-type containers that does seal with a click, so it won't stink in your apartment.
ROKER: Yeah, I think it's a great idea.
GUTHRIE: I was gonna say, I mean, honestly-
MORALES: No, it's good for the environment and composting is – I've done it in the past. It's really – it's good.
LAUER: And by the way, other cities have tried this with great success.
MORALES: Right.
LAUER: Places like Seattle and San Francisco.
ROKER: And so you're not sending stuff to landfills...
LAUER: Exactly.
ROKER: ...which also not only is good for the environment but saves like millions of bucks.
LAUER: No question about it.
MORALES: It does.
GUTHRIE: Alright, keep filing your trash, okay.
