Ironing out Southold food scrap program

For participants in Southold Town’s municipal food scraps drop-off program, there has been a bit of a learning curve about what is being accepted. The program experienced a bumpy start, with several loads contaminated with plastic and other non-compostable materials.  

“In the first couple of batches, when we were dumping the container, there was quite a bit of plastic in it, and that included everything from stickers to a loaf of bread still in the bag with the twist on it,” said Nick Krupski, solid waste coordinator for the Town of Southold. “I’m not sure if there was a misunderstanding that people thought we were going to sort it. But really, with a program such as this, unless there’s volunteers who are going to come out and sort, we’re going to be relying on the participants in the program to do the right thing.”

A notice went out from Long Island Organics Council, the organization managing the program in partnership with the town, detailing the issue and asking for extra vigilance from participants.

“Those items can’t break down. So it’s important that people who are participating in the program understand why certain things can or can’t go into the compost drop-off site. That’s why we have signage right next to the bin that indicates what can or cannot go in,” said Francesca Greco, project coordinator at the Long Island Organics Council. 

Beyond plastics, certain food items are also not accepted, because the facility is not equipped to deal with them. These include food scraps from animal products like meat and dairy. “It can actually reduce the quality of the compost, because you don’t have a good balance of [material],” said Ms. Greco. “So it drops that balance because it’s more liquid and fats that can’t break down properly.”

Mr. Krupski advises participants to use a reuseable container with a lid that is easy and convenient for every day use: “What I recommend is that people use a reusable container, depending on what their household needs are. That type of container would work for everyone, and they can use it throughout the year.”

Ms. Greco hopes to refine the program, so it can expand and support more residents. “We’re just grateful for everyone’s participation, and I’m really looking forward to feedback as the program progresses,” said Ms. Greco.