Volunteers Make Ossining's Food Scraps Recycling Program Visible

OSSINING, NY — Ossining now has a food scraps recycling program, started by a group of residents thinking globally and acting locally who are now making sure that it works.

The Green Ossining committee was instrumental in getting the Ossining Composts program up and running.

Now members of the group are making sure that people in Ossining know about it and know why it's important.

"There are seven volunteers working on this program," local resident and activist Suzi Ross told Patch. "Volunteering was just an ask among Green Ossining members, although there is one person who was so excited about this program and the opportunity to table for it that she has now become a Green Ossining member."

It's important, she said, because it easily transforms a big problem into a big resource.

About 40 percent of food in the United States is thrown away, ending up incinerated or in a landfill. "That translates to an average of about 219 pounds of food waste per person!" she said.

This program turns that waste instead to beneficial use: composted food scraps turn into unsurpassed nutrient-rich soil that yields healthier food and provides multiple other benefits to the planet, Ross said.

"This particular program provides an opportunity to those who are less interested in doing their own composting and also includes items that cannot be composted at home including dairy and meat/fish scraps," she said.

And it's easy. If you already have a backyard composter, keep it up and use this service for those foods that can’t go into a backyard composter, such as meat, fish, dairy, bones, shells, pasta, bread, rice, fats and oils.

Even if you don't have a back yard, you can do this. Participation is free, but if you want you can buy a compost kit, which includes a 2-gallon countertop pail, 6-gallon home storage/transportation bin, and one roll of 25 compostable bags, for $21. The bags are also for sale separately.

"Collecting food scraps should not be any more messy or smelly than putting food scraps in your trash. The same materials are being collected – just in a different container," the organizers point out in an online FAQ.

There is an official food scraps drop-off point at Cedar Lane Park, near the Cedar Lane Art Center. It is open to residents from dawn to dusk daily.

In addition, Green Ossining created what Ross calls "a Village-centric hub" at the Ossining Farmers Market every Saturday morning to make it even easier to dispose of those food scraps you collect.

"In addition to serving as a drop-off location, the Farmers Market hub location serves other purposes: as a public engagement opportunity to promote, explain, and answer questions about the program, as well as a pick-up location for food scrap recycling kits that have been pre-purchased," Ross said. "We are strong believers in the need to act on carbon emission reduction opportunities, using and wasting less, giving back to the planet any way we can, and this program checks a lot of boxes."

The program is open to all residents of the town of Ossining, including residents of Briarcliff Manor.

Collaborative program partners include the Town of Ossining, Teatown Lake Reservation and Green Ossining "with special thanks to Down to Earth Markets for hosting the hub every Saturday," Ross said.

You too can help the environment through the Ossining Composts program. For more information on how to pre-purchase a food scrap recycling kit and on the program visit: www.ossiningcomposts.org.