新奇事件簿 浪费食物被罚款

The U.S. city of Seattle is introducing a system to fine people who waste food. The city, in the USA's northwest, will begin issuing warnings on January the 1st and then start fining people six months later on July the 1st. People will get a $1 fine if more than 10 per cent of their garbage is food. Businesses will get a $50 fine. City officials want to reduce the amount of food that people and businesses waste. Americans waste around 40 per cent of the food they buy. The city hopes its new fines will bring this figure down. Seattle aims to increase the amount of waste it recycles from the current level of 56 per cent to 60 per cent. It has also become the second U.S. city to make composting compulsory¹.

美国西雅图市引进了一种新的系统来对浪费食物的人进行罚款。美国西北部的这个城市，将会在1月1日发布警告，然后会在6个月之后，也就是7月1日开始执行罚款。如果人们的垃圾箱内10%的垃圾是食物，那么就会受到1美元的罚款。商业会受到50美元的罚款。城市官方想要减少公民与商业浪费食物的数量。美国人买了食物之后，一般会浪费40%。城市希望新的罚款条例能够缩小这一数字。西雅图想要将垃圾回收率从现在的56%，提高到60%。西雅图已经成为美国第二个强制生产化肥的城市。

The Seattle Public Utilities² department said the new garbage disposal³ system should make people more aware that recycling is important. City official Tim Croll told the 'Seattle Times' newspaper that the programme would not make any money. He said: "The point isn't to raise revenue⁴. We care more about reminding people to separate their materials." He added that he thinks the fines system will be a success and said he didn't expect to collect a lot of money in fines. It will be up to garbage collectors to decide if a house or business gets a fine. The collectors will look inside garbage bins⁵ to see how much food waste they contain. They can then add $1 or $50 to the next garbage bill.

西雅图公共事业部门称，新的垃圾处理系统应该会让人们更加理解回收利用的重要性。城市官员提姆.克罗告诉《西雅图时报》记者，这一项目是非盈利性质的。他说，重点不是提高税收。我们更加重视提醒人们将物品分类。他还说，他认为罚款系统将会取得成功，他没想通过罚款聚财。[01:49.05]The collectors will look inside garbage bins to see how much food waste they contain. 垃圾清洁工将会决定家庭或者公司是否应受到罚款。清洁工将会看垃圾箱里面所包含的食物垃圾。然后他们就能够为下一次的垃圾.账单增加1美元或者50没有。

1 compulsory   

n.强制的，必修的；规定的，义务的

参考例句：

• Is English a compulsory subject?英语是必修课吗？
• Compulsory schooling ends at sixteen.义务教育至16岁为止。

2 utilities   

n.[经济学]效用（ utility的名词复数 ）；实用；公用事业；神庙逃亡游戏中的一次性道具

参考例句：

• the administration of public utilities 公共事业的管理
• Phase II requires utilities to reduce emissions by an additional fifty percent. 第二阶段要求排放再减少50％。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

3 disposal   

n.处理，消除，销毁，处置；弃菜碾碎器

参考例句：

• The safe disposal of nuclear waste is a major problem.安全处置核废料是个大问题。
• You had better discuss with her the disposal of the furniture.你最好和她讨论一下如何布置家具。

4 revenue   

n.总收入，财政收入，税收；税务局

参考例句：

• The country diminished the revenue by reducing tax.这个国家通过减税而使税收减少了。
• A government's revenue and expenditure should be balanced.政府的财政收入和支出要平衡。

5 bins   

n.大储藏箱( bin的名词复数 )；宽口箱（如面包箱，垃圾箱等）v.扔掉，丢弃( bin的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Garbage from all sources was deposited in bins on trolleys. 来自各方的垃圾是装在手推车上的垃圾箱里的。 来自辞典例句
• Would you be pleased at the prospect of its being on sale in dump bins? 对于它将被陈列在倾销箱中抛售这件事，你能欣然接受吗？ 来自辞典例句