Food Waste Collection and Composting

Tompkins County seeks to maximize diversion of waste in a manner that is economically and environmentally feasible. The organic waste collection program is a public/private partnership developed to help the County meet it's recycling and waste management goals.

Cayuga Compost is a local operation that provides a food scrap collection and composting service through a cooperative effort between private and public partners. Cayuga Compost provides all capital equipment and more than 20 years of material handling experience. Positioned on Agard Road in the Town of Ulysses, the food scrap composting site is the location for all operations, including the blending and sales of finished products. The company also has a relationship with the Cayuga Nature Center that provides a cooperative educational component and exhibit at the site of the preserve. 

Pilot Project

 During 2006, the County also partnered with Cayuga Compost on a 6 month pilot food waste collection program partially funded by the County. Through the program, Cayuga Compost collected provided County businesses with a clean 55-gallon toter in which to place organic waste. Every week, the food scraps were transported to the facility where they were incorporated into the composting process, which also included yard waste collected by the County. During the 6 month pilot collection program approximately 200 tons of food waste was diverted from disposal.

The finished compost produced by Cayuga Compost is currently sold in bags at local retail outlets and in bulk at their facility. The compost is also utilized in specialty blended products as specified by landscapers, wineries and others. This program was expanded for the full year of 2007 and now includes additional businesses as well as institutional settings and public events.