Sustainable Putnam

Community Composting

What is drop-off community composting?

  • It’s a solution for food waste that can’t be composted at home: meat, fish, bones, dairy, grains, and more.

  • Your town establishes a voluntary drop-off program

  • Residents collect food scraps at home, then drop off their scraps at a convenient location

  • A commercial composter carts away the food scraps and composts them

  • The finished, nutrient-rich compost is sold to farms and garden centers

People gathered to learn about community composting near compost bins

Why participate?

  • On average, American households waste 30-40% of the food they purchase

  • In a landfill, good waste decomposes anaerobically, producing methane, a powerful greenhouse gas

  • Also known as “food scrap recycling,” it eliminates a major portion of what we send to landfills.

  • For the cost of a countertop container and transport bin, anyone can participate: apartments, condos, single family homes

How can I bring community composting
to my town?

  • Click the blue button above to let your town know you’re interested

  • Stay informed.  Click here to receive composting updates

  • When resident interest is sufficient, we’ll propose the program to your town board

  • You can help by sharing a link to this page with friends and neighbors

Does my town have community composting?

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