40 Cubic Yards of Organic Compost Distributed to Hundreds of Residents on Compost Giveback Day

Despite torrential rain on Saturday, April 29, 2023, Michelle Sterling, a co-chair of the Scarsdale Conservation Advisory Council (CAC), reports that Scarsdale’s annual Compost Giveback Day was a huge success. Hundreds of Scarsdale residents were thrilled to receive high-quality food scrap compost for their gardens and flower beds. This compost was the product of the Village’s successful residential Food Scrap Recycling program, which has diverted over 2.500,000 pounds of food scraps from the solid waste stream since the beginning of the program in January 2017. 

40 cubic yards of organic compost were distributed to a steady stream of eager residents throughout the day. Volunteers were on hand with educational materials and starter kits to encourage more residents to compost their food scraps. According to the University of Michigan School of Public Health, organic composting:

1. Significantly reduces the amount of trash in landfills, cutting the costs and carbon emissions it takes to haul and process food scraps.
2. Enriches the soil with nutrients, reducing the need for synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.
3. Increases soil’s ability to retain moisture, helping to prevent erosion by reducing runoff.
4. Prevents and suppresses plant diseases and pests.
5. Reduces the fossil fuel emissions required to produce and ship soil-maintenance products. 
6. Helps remove carbon from the atmosphere by encouraging rapid plant growth. 

The CAC’s work on Saturday was an essential step in improving waste reduction, energy conservation, and raising environmental awareness among the community. 

Dedicated volunteers of the CAC were key to the success of the day, and Sterling would like to extend a big thank you to the volunteers for their great help—especially in the harsh weather conditions. Sterling would also like to recognize Jeff Coleman and Tyler Seifert, the “dynamic duo” of the Scarsdale Department of Public Works (DPW), for their pivotal roles in coordinating and organizing the program and for their support of the sustainability efforts of Scarsdale.

Compost Giveback Day is a thank you to our many residents, whose food scrap recycling each week plays a major role in protecting our environment. To sign up for the Scarsdale Scrap Recycling program, please email [email protected] to help protect our earth! 

Below is a photo gallery of Scarsdale's 2023 Compost Giveback Day: