Seattle garbage collector Anousone Sadettanh empties a small residential garbage bin into his truck in 2014. It is now illegal to toss out food with the trash in the city. Residents will get warning tags for now; the city will start imposing fines in July. Elaine Thompson/AP In Seattle, wasting food will now earn you a scarlet letter — well, a scarlet tag, to be more accurate.

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The location of all garbage boxes must be approved by Dufferin County Waste Services. A flag system must be used to indicate when there is waste in the box that needs to be collected. The area should be free of pests (i.e. Insects) and obstructions (e.g. Snow) to ensure it can be collected safely.

The bright red tag, posted on a garbage bin, tells everyone who sees it that you've violated a that makes it illegal to put food into trash cans. 'I'm sure neighbors are going to see these on their other neighbors' cans,' says Rodney Watkins, a lead driver for Recology CleanScapes, a waste contractor for the city. He's on the front lines of enforcing these rules. Seattle is the first city in the nation to fine homeowners for not properly sorting their garbage.

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The law took effect on Jan. 1 as a bid to keep food out of landfills.

Other cities like San Francisco and Vancouver mandate composting, but don't penalize homeowners directly. Recology CleanScapes driver Rodney Watkins issues a red tag — the scarlet letter of food waste in Seattle.

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Amy Radil/KUOW As Watkins made the rounds in Maple Leaf, a residential neighborhood of Seattle, earlier this month, he appeared disheartened to find an entire red velvet cake in someone's trash bin. Any household with more than 10 percent food in its garbage earns a bright red tag notifying it of the infraction. 'Right now, I'm tagging probably every fifth can,' Watkins says. 'I don't know if that's just the holidays, or the fact that I'm actually paying a lot more attention.' Watkins doesn't have to comb through the trash — the forbidden items are plain to see.