Community-Based Food Scrap Composting

June 10, 2014

I had the pleasure of speaking at the Federation of New York Solid Waste Associations annual conference last month. One of the best panels I attended was on New York City’s Compost Project, a community-scale composting network that works to increase capacity and participation in composting in NYC.  The city is developing partnerships to provide collection and processing of residential food scraps through its community composting network, along with pilot food scrap collections at multi-family units and schools. In NYC, an estimated 200,000 people participate in the community food scrap collection.

Community Composting

Community composting presents a scalable food diversion option that is applicable in virtually any community, whether urban, suburban, or rural. Community compost programs can be established at community (neighborhood or urban) gardens, farms, schools, or other locations. They can be operated by not-for-profit organizations, governments, private sector, schools, housing associations, cooperatives, or through other arrangements. Operations can serve as demonstration or training sites and/or serve as an effective solution for initiating food scrap processing. An essential role that community composting can play in the evolution of food scrap diversion is to educate and involve residents in learning about food scrap diversion, the benefits of composting, and the uses for compost products. Food scrap drop-off collection can take place at the community compost sites, farmers markets, transit stations, or other locations.

GrowNYC

GrowNYC is a hands-on non-profit working to improve New York City's quality of life through environmental programs. The organization operates Greenmarket Farmers Markets, 54 farmers markets located around the city which provide residents with healthy, fresh, and local food. These open air farmer markets have also served as educational hubs for implementing creative neighborhood reuse and recycling efforts around the city, from “Stop ‘N’ Swaps” to textile collections. The markets now provide the city with a residential compost collection network. The City of New York Department of Sanitation (DNSY) now collects carts full of residential food scraps at market locations around the city; additional sites are collected by GrowNYC using 20 gallon stackable containers.

Compost Partners

Altogether there are some 38 neighborhood food scrap drop-off sites. All sites are staffed by GrowNYC partners or volunteers to provide education and training, as well as to monitor the collections. These partners include: NYC Department of Sanitation; GrowNYC & community partners; Lower East Side Ecology Center; BIG!Compost; Battery Conservancy; the New York Restoration Project.

 DSNY manages or contracts for compost operation management. Contracted entities include:

• Earth Matter
• Gowanus Canal Conservancy
• Red Hook Community Farm
• BIG!Compost
• Battery Urban Farm

These public-private partnerships serve as the basis for the city’s effective compost collection network.

DSNY also collects from several multi-family complexes and schools. Food scraps are collected in carts by DSNY employees using a modified rear loader vehicle with a hydraulic lift. Schools have been provided with “sorting stations” for food scrap composting, recycling, trash, and a “liquid drain” bucket (for milk and other liquids).

BIG!Compost

Build It Green!NYC is well known for its non-profit retail outlet for salvaged and surplus building materials. BIG!Compost is a program of Build It Green!NYC and the NYC Compost Project. BIG!Compost manages some 250 tons per year of food scraps for composting. The organization operates a collection network of fourteen drop-off sites around Queens, including subway-commuter collection carts and at farmers markets. Twenty-gallon “brew containers” and 64-gallon toters are used. More than 400 volunteers staff the collection sites and help with the compost operation. The compost operation is contained on 10,000 square feet of operating space. Using the Gore™ cover windrow system allows for strict process control and containment of any odor issues. Big!Compost uses a Jaylor auger mixer to grind and blend materials into windrows. BIG!Compost is also starting a 200 square foot vermicomposting bioreactor.

 Stay tuned for more on community composting!

By Athena Lee Bradley