Action: Residential Organic Waste Program
Tompkins County - Town of Dryden
The Tompkins County Solid Waste Division – in partnership with the Town and Village of Dryden – has opened a food scrap recycling drop spot at the Dryden Town Highway Department. The free service allows residents to expand their recycling options and reduce their trash disposal costs.
The material collected each week is taken to Cayuga Compost in Trumansburg for processing, with the resulting compost marketed to landscapers, homeowners, and organizations as a soil amendment. Read Press Release
Action: Construction & Demolition Waste Policy
Broome County
Broome County’s Reuse and Recycling Guide for Construction and Demolition Waste
Action: Waste Reduction Education Campaign
TOmpkins County
The Tompkins County Department of Recycling and Materials Management received a grant from New York State Pollution Prevention Institute (NYSP2I) in support of the Save the Food project. View the Press Release Here. Through this grant, the Department developed a comprehensive program for residential food waste prevention, featuring a community film screening, social media campaign, school presentations, and a food waste prevention challenge. To help communities and organizations that are interested in developing a food waste prevention program in their own area, the Save The Food manual was created, highlighting project summaries, tips, and lessons learned.
Action: Government Solid Waste Audit
Tompkins County - Town of Ithaca
Town of Ithaca Town Hall Waste Assessment Report
Town of Ithaca Department of Public Works Waste Assessment Report
Action: Recycling Program for Public Places & Events
Tompkins County - City of Ithaca
The City of Ithaca installed Big Belly trash and recycling bins on the commons. BigBelly reduces the solid waste stream and the cost of trash removal - ultimately mitigating the city's "carbon footprint."
The compactor uses no electricity. The solar cells, installed on the top of the unit, charge a battery that powers the compactor and the sensors. These sensors, located midway up the receptacle, determine when waste within the 32-gallon bin has accumulated to a certain height, at which point compaction is activated.