Residents will be able to drop off food scraps free at designated sites
By Mike Lynch
Warren County plans to launch an experimental compost program and facility this year as a way to gauge whether it should build a permanent structure.
Scott Royael, Warren County’s solid waste and recycling compliance coordinator, said the program could significantly reduce the amount of garbage going into landfills and lower methane emissions from decaying food scraps. Methane is a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change.
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People will be able to participate for free by dropping off their food waste at designated sites, including their transfer stations.
The county would then move the food scraps to a Queensbury site where they would mix it with other organic materials and make compost for distribution.
One of the end results is residents paying less to dispose of their garbage since there would be no fee for this food scrap disposal program. “Not only is it potentially cheaper to drop off, but then you have an end product that could be used by local landscapers or households or gardeners,” Royael said.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that about 25% of municipal landfills consist of food waste and that 58% of methane emissions from landfills are derived from food waste.
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The facility will be funded through a $99,253 grant from the state Department of Environmental Conservation Climate Smart Communities program that was awarded in December.
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Royael states that the county hopes to have a contract in place or the grant in the next few months. If that happens, the county would work with its partners on an educational campaign in the spring or early summer and launch the program by the fall.
Potential savings
The pilot is expected to last six months and process an estimated 100 tons of food waste, according to Warren County’s grant application. That would be the equivalent of conserving 7,700 gallons of gasoline.
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If the county decides to go ahead with a full-scale facility, which could handle 5,000 tons of waste annually, Warren County officials estimate it would be the equivalent of conserving 384,979 gallons of gas.
The county will be working closely on the project with the nonprofit Adirondack Compost Education Council (ACEC), which is based in Queensbury. The group has been advocating for the creation of a composting facility and plans to continue to support the county’s efforts.
“We want to help educate people and help them be successful with this pilot program,”said ACEC board chair Barbara Joudry.
Warren County Public Works Superintendent Kevin Hajos said the county first identified the opportunity in its solid waste management plan that was completed in 2021. More specifics were then developed in the county’s organics management plan.
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“This is to get us to understand whether or not it makes sense from us as a municipality, that it makes sense for us to do this, or should this maybe become a private venture,” Hajos said.
There is already at least one local, privately run composting program called Adirondack Worm Farm. That business has a different model, though, and charges for curbside pick-up of food scraps, Royael said. The county hopes to complement that program and not be in competition with it.
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