Climate Local Now: Don’t Toss It — Drop It!

Join the Trend of Turning Food Scraps Into Soil Food

by Mary Morgan

You’ve likely heard: Landfills on Long Island are closing. Brookhaven no longer accepts construction debris, with more restrictions coming soon. Food plays a major role here, accounting for 24 percent of total landfill waste. 

Pictured Above: ReWild North Forkers Dana Carini, Ralph Reinertsen, Nancy DePas Reinertsen, Anne McElroy, Mary Morgan at the food-scrap drop-off buckets at Deep Roots Farm, Southold. | Aurélie Lang photo

Shockingly, households are responsible for 70 percent of food waste. Americans toss ½ lb of food away – per person per day! What a waste – when we could recycle and benefit. Which is why a cadre of nonprofits are partnering with farms, farmers’ markets and local towns to create food scrap drop-off programs.

What gardeners, farmers and soil experts know is that food is a valuable organic resource, easily transformed into “black gold”—a nutrient-rich additive that improves soil, increases biodiversity, and helps soil retain water, helping reduce runoff, mitigate flooding, and recharge our aquifer. 

These drop-off initiatives demonstrate ways our communities can close the organic loop – saving costs by upcycling so-called waste into valuable compost, with huge benefits for our land and coastal waters. This summer, rather than tossing away your kitchen scraps, consider joining a drop-off. All require registration. Here’s a roundup: 

Shelter Island: Starting small, now Island-wide

What started as a limited volunteer project in 2009 has blossomed into an island-wide venture on Shelter Island. Sylvester Manor Educational Farm offered CSA members the opportunity to bring kitchen scraps to drop-off bins near the farmstand. Now expanded to all residents, Island-wide, accessible at any time, the program has become very popular. In 2023, residents contributed over 17,000 pounds of food scraps — doubling the previous year’s total. Building on this success the Shelter Island Town Board plans to add a second drop-off site at the Town Recycling Center. What do they know? Keeping food scraps out of landfills not only cuts methane emissions but also saves taxpayer dollars. For more details, visit sylvestermanor.org under “Agricultural Practices.”

Hampton Bays: Join, get a bucket, earn some “black gold”

In spring 2020, the Ecological Culture Initiative (ECI) launched a Community Composting Program as part of their Zero Waste initiative. Residents can join ECI to drop off fruit and vegetable scraps at The Good Ground Heritage Garden. As with most drop-off initiatives ECI does not accept FOG’s – fats, oils, grease  – or meat, fish or bones. Managed by Master Composter Tony Romano, participants log their contributions and receive nutrient-rich compost to use at home or donate to the community garden. For a $40 fee, participants receive a six-gallon bucket, orientation, and optional curbside pickup for an additional $20. To learn more: eciny.org/community-composting-program.

Southold: Two farm drop-offs and a town pilot

Southold’s composting journey began in 2019 with a volunteer-led focus group run by three community members. With town approval, the trio then ran a 30-family pilot of educational sessions and a monitored drop-off. Its success inspired other pilots including two this year at farms. ReWild Long Island’s North Fork chapter is partnering with Deep Roots Farm in Southold and Golden Acres Organic Farm in Jamesport to offer food scrap drop-offs — free to join, registration required. Meanwhile, the Town has teamed up with the Long Island Organics Council to monitor a 100-family pilot, with plans for future expansion. Stay tuned. ReWild farm drop-off details, see the compost project page at ReWildLongIsland.org.

Riverhead: Town-wide sign-up, discount bins

Building on the lessons learned from Southold’s pilot, in 2022 Riverhead Town launched a food scrap drop-off initiative in partnership with the Long Island Organics Council. The initial 90-day trial in Calverton expanded to a town-wide initiative in May 2023. Free, residents register at the Town of Riverhead Food Scrap Drop-Off Program.

East Hampton: 5 Locations, Fun Volunteer Opportunities 

East Hampton Compost, launched in 2023, has grown to offer five drop-off sites from Sag Harbor to Montauk. A collaboration with ReWild Long Island and the Town of East Hampton, the project is designed to make it easy for residents to drop off food scraps at locations across the town:  East Hampton Village, Montauk Community Garden, Springs Farmers Market, and Sag Harbor Farmers Market. “Let’s transform food scraps to soil food” says founder Gloria Frazee. Free to join, friendly student volunteers are on hand at the markets to weigh scraps and answer questions. As one participant commented: “I’m 90 years old, live alone, and don’t generate much food waste, but you can count on me to do my part. I’ve been waiting for something like this for years!.”  To sign up and learn more: easthamptoncompost.org.

For farms and community gardens interested in setting up a monitored food scrap drop-off program, ReWild can help! Contact Mary@ReWildLongIsland.org

Former Locavore, now a Climatarian, sailor, beachcomber Mary Morgan lives in Orient with her husband Tom, naturalist and mushroom forager, early founders the local chapter Slow Food East End in 2004. Four years ago Mary co-founded a grassroots East End effort inspired by Project Drawdown dedicated to local solutions to reverse global warming. 

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