Fayetteville kicks off kitchen compost program

VILLAGE OF FAYETTEVILLE – The Village of Fayetteville is kicking off its own kitchen compost program.
Trustee Mark Matt said the new endeavor is a pilot program that will move forward with the first 100 residents who have signed up.
He said the idea for a village-run community composting program began about a year ago and that the municipality is finally in a promising position to get it off the ground.
Composting is defined as the practice of separating organic waste from regular landfill-bound household garbage such as tin cans and plastic bags so that it can be processed into a decayed, nutrient-rich material that can improve soil quality and be used for plant fertilization and conditioning of the land.
The village is starting off with a vegan compost program. Therefore, only plant-based products are being accepted for now, with that narrowed grouping including coffee grounds, tea and leftover food scraps from meals like vegetable waste and fruit peels and rinds.
The discardable materials from one’s home can then be separated out and placed into the 13-gallon curbside bins being provided by the village for the program.
The contents of those green containers will be picked up biweekly to coincide with brush pickup in the village. Each composting bin has wheels and a cover so that they can be rolled easily down a driveway and guarded from curious raccoons, dogs and other animals when left outside.
Matt said that ultimately the village will transition into including other compostable matter like meat, fish, dairy, eggs, fats and oils with the program but that the current vegan structure acts as a small step to experiment with at the outset.
He said that going into the program “a little bit at a time” allows for simpler adjustments and prevents “hitting a brick wall” that would lead to people turning away from the activity.
He added that as an early adopter of community composting practices locally Fayetteville is testing out the pilot program for the sake of the rest of Onondaga County to some degree. Through the village’s progress, the participants can share their knowledge and advice with neighboring communities, he said.
According to Matt, the purpose of the program is to reduce the amount of waste going into landfills and incinerators, thereby reducing tipping fees on the village’s part and making for a cleaner, healthier environment.
“It’s right for the environment and it’s right for dollars,” he said. “This is a no-lose situation. You don’t see those everywhere.”
For more information about Fayetteville’s new composting program, contact Mark Matt at [email protected] or by phone at 315-420-9209.