
Last month, EcoWise focused on the composting programs at Siwanoy and Colonial Schools. These initiatives come as food-scrap composting is taking hold at a number of Westchester municipalities, including Scarsdale, Larchmont/Mamaroneck, Bedford, and soon, Greenburgh.
The benefits are numerous: It brings the food cycle full circle by turning food remains back into nutrient-rich dirt. It reduces garbage – which in Westchester, is incinerated. Down the line, it may even save money.
The Village of Scarsdale, which began its composting program in January, was the first in Westchester and is serving as a template for other communities. Interested residents buy a one-time kit for $20 consisting of a small countertop size bin, a larger bin for transferring scraps to Scarsdale’s drop-off site, a roll of compostable bags, and instructions about what is compostable and what isn’t.
The start-up costs were $1,500, and the monthly cost for having the scraps transported to a composting facility is $400. With a participation rate in Scarsdale of 15% of households — ahead of original projections –– about half of the monthly transport costs pays for itself because garbage is reduced. “It’s a really simple program, but it’s also a cheap program,” said Michelle Sterling, co-chairwoman of the Scarsdale Forum Sustainability Committee.
Scarsdale has periodic compost give-back days, when residents can pick up dirt resulting from their composting. The actual drop-off site is small – taking up three parking spaces at the Scarsdale Recyling Center. On a recent visit on a hot autumn day, no smell emanated from the site, which consists of tidy rows of thick, sealed bins. “They worked out many of the kinks so it’s a preloaded program,” said Village of Pelham Trustee Andrea Reinke, who visited this summer with interested local residents.
Mamaroneck Superintendent Nancy Seligson said commencement of the town’s program – which includes the Village of Larchmont – was “a very good and very rapid experience.” Food-scrap recycling started on September 18 with 250 residents signed up.
About 20 Westchester municipalities have visited the Scarsdale site, including the Village of Pelham, New Rochelle, Rye, White Plains, and Yonkers. “I love this program,” said Pelham’s Reinke. “The Village is really interested and we’re trying to figure out the logistics.”