The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is celebrating New York State Compost Awareness Week May 3 through May 9, and announcing more than $2.1 million in grant awards for statewide efforts encouraging New Yorkers to explore the benefits of composting. This year’s awareness week theme is Compost! Feed the Soil that Feeds Us.
“All New Yorkers can play a role in reducing food waste and decreasing the amount of material sent to the landfills,” DEC Commissioner Amanda Lefton said. “Composting can be done at home, or by separating food scraps for collection and transport to a composting facility in your area. Every little bit helps build more sustainable communities.”
Compost can improve soil, prevent erosion, and reduce the use of fertilizer. Compost is also a water-saving natural resource that can save money- as well as decrease the amount of waste that ends up in landfills or combustion facilities. Reducing the amount of organic waste sent to landfills reduces the production of methane, a potent greenhouse gas.
In addition to the grant awards, DEC’s Division of Materials Management is also launching a new Grants Data Portal, an interactive web-based mapper that contains a comprehensive dataset of grants awarded to enhancing food donation and organics recycling related projects. This streamlined portal with enhanced access to grants data now provides municipalities, non-profits, local government officials, and the general public a better understanding of New York State’s investment in organic waste diversion infrastructure.
More than $2.1 million is being awarded to help promote composting statewide by supporting municipalities in starting or expanding municipal food scraps recycling programs. A total of 27 municipalities will receive funding, up to $200,000, in this latest round of grants for projects that will increase residential food scraps recycling or enhance food scraps recycling programs and facilities.
With funding provided by the State’s Environmental Protection Fund (EPF), DEC previously awarded nearly $6 million to municipalities since the program was first created in 2018 to assist with growing organics recycling opportunities and increase accessibility to composting opportunities for New York State residents. Funds for organics management-related projects have also been distributed through DEC’s Climate Smart Communities grant program, as well as the Municipal Waste Reduction and Recycling program.
Highlights of the 27 municipalities receiving funding include:
Long Island
Village of Port Washington North, $75,300: Launch and operate a municipal food scraps drop-off program in collaboration with Residents Forward, a local environmental and sustainability not-for-profit organization. The primary target is 1,300 households, including single-family homes, garden apartments, and a 55+ condominium community. Food scraps will also be collected at the Guggenheim Elementary School, and the school program will be supported with training and education for students and staff.
Mid-Hudson
Village of Woodbury, $7,668: Enhance the village’s food scraps recycling program by establishing a local food scraps collection site. The collection site will be set up in a proposed public park with trails and a community garden. The compost produced at this site will enrich the community garden to be established here and may be made available to residents for use in home gardens.
North Country
Town of Westport, $25,000: Develop and launch a pilot food scraps collection program at the local transfer station. The town will also partner with a local food waste reduction and composting specialist to offer community-scale education and awareness programming, as well as signage and promotional materials to support the program.
Village of Canton, $20,172: Expand food scraps recycling infrastructure in the village by installing three publicly accessible food scrap collection bins in the community, partnering with North Country Compost for site maintenance and hauling, supporting residents in composting by providing countertop food scrap caddies, and promoting food scraps recycling through a partnership with a local middle school. The project anticipates diverting 51,600 pounds of food scraps over one year.
Western NY
Genesee Valley School District, $133,804: Develop, implement, and scale a food scraps reduction program across the campus and region that defines the district. The district will purchase and install an in-vessel composter and construct supporting infrastructure to enable site-based composting of staff- and student-generated food scraps. The project will be scaled to include food scraps collection from the general community and at least one other community agency.
Salamanca City School District, $87,523: Develop a food scraps recycling program that will collect food scraps from school kitchens and compost them on-site. This project aims to reduce food waste from school cafeterias and divert it for recycling while educating and involving students in the process to give them hands-on learning experiences of the benefits of composting.
New York City
New York City Housing Authority, $200,000: The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) will establish new residential food scrap drop-off sites at NYCHA housing developments in East Harlem that do not currently have any infrastructure for food scraps collection. NYCHA will also add collection points at one development that already has a food scraps drop-off point. NYCHA residents at these developments are not served by the New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) curbside organics collection program, so this initiative will bring food scraps collection services to more New York City residents.
New York State Food Donation and Food Scraps Recycling Law
The New York State Food Donation and Food Scraps Recycling Law helps to reduce waste and climate-altering emissions caused by landfilling while providing quality food to New Yorkers in need and food scraps to organics recyclers across New York State. Starting January 1, 2027, the law will expand to include additional businesses, institutions and other entities that generate 1 ton of wasted food per week or more. Additionally, the requirement to recycle food scraps will
increase from 25 to 50 miles. The law will expand once again starting January 1, 2029 to include businesses, institutions and other entities that generate one half ton of wasted food per week or more.
DEC is amending State regulations (6 NYCRR Part 350) to implement the 2025 legislative amendments to the Food Donation and Food Scraps Recycling Law enacted in 2019. The revisions reduce the food scraps generation rate required for coverage under the law and extend the distance for determining if a viable organics recycler exists. The public is invited to submit written comments on the proposed rulemaking through June 2, 2026.
“DEC Doest What?!” Podcast Highlights Composting
In the April 29 episode of the “DEC Does What?!” Podcast, DEC Region 4 Director Sean Mahar and Chief of Staff Adriana Espinoza are joined by two staff members from the Division of Material Management’s Organics Reduction and Recycling Section. Kristine Ellsworth, Environmental Engineer, and Miranda Wolf, Environmental Program Specialist, highlighting International Compost Awareness Week and DEC’s efforts to prevent wasted food and promote composting for all New Yorkers.
New York Center for Organics Recycling and Education
With funding provided by DEC, Cornell is host to the New York Center for Organics Recycling and Education (NYCORE), a new initiative that will continue and expand the work of the Cornell Waste Management Institute (CWMI). The applied research and extension work will focus on enhancing composting, compost and biochar use, and other organics management practices on farms across New York State.
NYCORE is available to provide free, hands-on assistance to farmers, municipalities, communities, individuals, and businesses through site visits, train-the-trainer events, webinars, tours, workshops, and deployment of educational resources. Inquire about technical assistance services and other opportunities to collaborate with the NY-CORE team at [email protected]. To receive information about activities and events subscribe to their quarterly newsletter at this sign up form and follow @ny_organics_education on social media.
Debbie Aller, Director - NYCORE said, "We are thrilled to be able to continue and expand the nearly 40 years of work in organics management done by the CWMI through NYCORE. There are countless opportunities to turn 'wastes' into resources for farms and communities across New York State and we are glad that we can continue to provide the science-based knowledge for this to be done safely and sustainably. Our team is excited for the future of organics management in New York State and incredibly thankful to DEC for their support."
Composting Resources
DEC recently released a home composting guide. This guide helps you decide which home composting option is best for you. Composting at home doesn’t just start or end with composting in your backyard, there are many ways to participate:
- Compost In Your Backyard
- Compost indoors with worms (vermicomposting)
- Participate in a food scraps drop-off program
- Participate in curbside collection of food scraps
- Purchase compost made by compost facilities in New York State
On DEC’s home composting webpage, interactive maps are available to help find a food scraps drop off program, residential food scraps collection service or locations to purchase compost made by compost facilities in New York State.
Individuals, organizations, and local governments interested in connecting with other compost educators or community organizers during for New York State Compost Awareness Week or who would like to receive the Compost Awareness Week Plug & Play Social Media Toolkit are encouraged to contact DEC’s Bureau of Waste Reduction and Recycling at [email protected].
For more information on New York’s Compost Awareness Week and how all New Yorkers can help compost and take other steps to reduce food waste at homes and businesses, visit DEC’s website.
NOTE: Interview with DEC Environmental Engineer Molly Trembley about composting available here
