BY JOSH DAVISNorth Country This Week

POTSDAM— A local effort to reduce food waste has received nearly $100,000 to expand compost efforts and awareness in St. Lawrence County.

Clarkson University and Compost for Good, a program of the Adirondack North Country Association (ANCA), have been awarded a federal grant that will help them expand community compost awareness and action campaigns across the North Country.

The total amount of the Rural Business Development Grant from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) was $99,861. 

The program’s goals are to increase awareness and understanding of food waste generation in residential, institutional or commercial facilities and to help those institutions to adopt food waste reduction and recycling strategies.

In the coming months, the project will train “Compost Catalysts” to help communities divert wasted food from landfills.  Compost Catalysts will learn to develop projects and outreach events that serve communities in St. Lawrence, Franklin, Essex, and Clinton counties.

Community outreach will include tabling at events, informational presentations, one-on-one consultations with food waste generators, classroom activities, and more.

In addition to outreach campaigns, Catalysts, coordinators and student interns will conduct food waste assessments at commercial or school district generators to identify opportunities to divert wasted food from landfills through actions such as reducing food waste, partnering with a local composting business, or donating to food pantries or farms.

The project is supported by Susan Powers, Director of Clarkson’s Institute for a Sustainable Environment, ANCA Organics Recycling Coordinator Jennifer Perry, and Project Coordinators Dustin Bowman and Francesca McClure.

“The expansion of outreach and education about community-scale composting will not only help food waste generators comply with state regulations, it will also help new and established composting businesses connect with clients. It’s a win-win for local businesses and communities who care about reducing the amount of organic waste in landfills and creating nutrient-rich compost for local farms and gardens,” Powers said.

The project team is also supporting local businesses engaged in food scrap hauling and composting. Perry said the number of businesses supporting community-scale composting efforts continues to grow throughout the region, noting there are now eight members of Compost for Good’s North Country Community Composting Coalition (N4C).

“These businesses are eager to support your food waste recycling goals,” she said. “Food waste diversion and compost generation creates tremendous rural business opportunities.”

Those interested in learning more about becoming a Compost Catalyst and food waste generators interested in a free food waste assessment are invited to contact compostforgood@adirondack.org for more information.

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