The law has been brought in to help the city achieve its goal of recycling and composting 60% of its waste by 2015.

Currently Seattle sends approximately 100,000 tons of food waste 300 miles to a landfill in Eastern Oregon each year. This results in higher costs and greenhouse gas emissions.

Food waste has been prohibited from residential and commercial rubbish from 1 January but the law will not be enforced until 1 July this year.

Under the new legislation no food or food contaminated products such as cardboard, napkins and paper towels are allowed in the rubbish bins.

Seattle residents will now have to subscribe to choose between subscribing to a composting service that collects once a week, composting their food waste themselves or bringing the food waste to a plant for processing.

In a recent poll carried out by the government, 74% of Seattle residents supported the ban and 11% opposed it.

It is proposed that the newly composted food waste will be turned into compost for local parks and gardens.

Other states in America that have such food waste requirements include New York in New York, San Francisco in California and Portland in Oregon.