Recycling Restaurant Scraps

New program will compost commercial food waste
Commercial kitchens in Philipstown can now do what households have been doing for four years — recycle food waste rather than send it to landfills.
Jeff Mikkelsen, the advocacy chair of the Cold Spring Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Philipstown Climate Smart Task Force, is spearheading a pilot initiative to fund food-scrap recycling for up to six businesses and organizations. Mikkelsen said 17 of 50 local kitchens surveyed expressed interest in the pilot.
The program, the first of its kind in Putnam County, is being funded by the Williams College Community Climate Fund in conjunction with the Center for EcoTechnology (CET), a nonprofit that works with Rethink Food Waste New York, overseen by the state Department of Environmental Conservation.
The first four participants are the Garrison Institute (which uses Fresh Company to cater its events), Haldane Central School District, Marble Meat Shop and Cold Spring Farmers' Market, Mikkelsen said, with two more spots available for restaurants, caterers, nonprofits and other food services with commercial kitchens. The initial $6,000 grant will support the program for six months, he said.

The program will provide collection bins and liners and pay for hauling the waste, which can include vegetables, meats, dairy, cheese, fish, seafood and commercial and biodegradable packaging. The scraps are collected by Sustainable Materials Management in Cortlandt Manor, which was founded by the family that owns CRP Sanitation.
Michael Fiumara, the sales manager there, said 100 cubic yards of food waste typically will produce the same volume of compost. Most of the material is purchased in bulk by landscapers, garden centers and municipalities, but retail customers can buy 1-cubic-foot bags.
Recycling Food Scraps at Home
Philipstown's Climate Smart Task Force initiated Putnam County's first household food scrap recycling program in 2022, establishing a Saturday collection station at the town recycling center on Lane Gate Road. About 100 families joined during the first year, and enrollment has more than tripled since. What began as an eight-month pilot is now funded annually.
The Village of Cold Spring joined the program in 2024 and installed a collection station on Kemble Avenue for Tuesday drop-offs. "We consistently fill two 64-gallon totes — about 17 cubic feet of food waste per week," said Village Trustee Laura Bozzi, who serves on the Climate Smart Task Force. She said the village may expand the program by adding more bins or a second drop-off day.

Karen Ertl, a volunteer who helped establish the household food-scrap program, said 323 families are enrolled. She said that as many as 1,600 pounds of scraps are collected each week at the two stations and processed into compost at Sustainable Materials Management in Cortlandt Manor.
To participate, residents can register at Philipstown Town Hall on weekdays or at the Cold Spring Farmers' Market on Saturdays. An optional $20 starter kit includes a countertop pail, storage/transport bin and compostable bags. Food scraps can be dropped at the Recycling Center on Lane Gate Road between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Saturdays and at the Kemble Avenue site between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. on Tuesdays.
Fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, dairy, bread, rice, pasta, raw and cooked food, bones and seafood shells can be recycled, as can cut flowers, napkins, paper towels, wax paper, pet food, tea bags, coffee grounds, Popsicle sticks and wine corks.
In Beacon, residents can drop food waste in containers at the Beacon Recreation Center (23 W. Center St.), Memorial Park or the Churchill Street parking lot near Hudson Valley Brewery. The program does not accept "compostable plastics," such as bin liners, bags, utensils or containers, unless they are made of bamboo. For more information, see dub.sh/beacon-food-scraps.
Community Compost Co. offers residential pickup in Beacon starting at $26 per month or $281 per year. The...