In June, Mayor Gavin Newsom and the Board of Supervisors passed a law allowing the city to fine property managers and business owners who are caught not recycling or composting their waste. This law goes into effect Oct. 21, and while this seems like a logical step in ensuring that the city sends nothing to landfills or incinerators by 2020, is it really the best idea?

We live in a city that has its share of different enforcers of the law. From SFPD to Muni Police, there always seems to be someone watching over our shoulder making sure that we aren't running red lights or riding a bus without paying. What's next, a team of trash police?

Get real. Who, besides the countless homeless and those looking for a few recyclables, is really going to willingly poke around trash cans in the name of a few extra bucks for the city?

Of course composting and recycling help save our environment, but many feel that the city of San Francisco should focus on other serious issues, rather than implementing a fine that will require more nonexistent manpower to enforce.

"They can't catch the bum who stabbed an 11-year-old on Muni, but they sure can catch you if you don't compost. Talk about priorities," said a commenter with the username crusader_rabbit on a Sept. 9 SFGate article.

It's inefficient and ironic to transport most of the compost in environmentally-unfriendly diesel-run trucks more than 50 miles to a facility just outside of Vacaville. As of today, more than 400 tons of compost are sent there from of San Francisco daily, according to http://www.sfenvironment.org. Who's to say how high that number will go once everyone is forced to recycle and compost? If the supervisors would pass a bill allowing a large scale composting facility to be built in San Francisco or at least somewhere closer than Vacaville, the fines would make more sense.

All in all, this law is pointless. While good in theory, there seems to be no clear way to enforce it.