COMMUNITY COMPOST PROGRAM
If you have any questions regarding the interest list or the program, please contact elizabeth.henry@
The Community Compost program offers participants flexible food scrap drop-offs and educational opportunities in compost and sustainability. There is an annual cost of $80 per household to become a member of the program, which directly supports one seasonal staff member in the program. There are scholarships available for participants who might not otherwise be able to join.
HOW IT WORKS
Step 1: Fill out the registration form to join.
Step 2: Attend a Compost Training: Before dropping off any food scraps, you’ll attend a required training session led by Sustainable Saratoga. The training will cover: what you can and can’t compost, how to store and prepare food scraps at home, how the drop-off system works, and the importance of composting why composting matters for Saratoga Springs
Step 4: Start Collecting Your Scraps: At home, collect acceptable food scraps in a container of your choice, or with our provided compost bin you will receive when you join the Community Compost Program.
Step 5: Drop Off at Pitney Meadows: Bring your scraps to our on-site composting system on the farm. Before emptying into the drop-off bins, participants will weigh the scraps and log the weight, date, their name, and any additional comments onto the program clipboard.
Step 6: Your Scraps Become Soil to be used in public gardens to grow food! Food scraps are emptied into the compost culverts by staff and volunteers after the culverts have been aerated. Then, we cover the scraps with a carbon source (we use mostly wood chips). The mixture takes time to break down and is often emptied and formed into windrows for secondary decomposition. Finished compost is used to enrich the soil at Pitney Meadows’ Community Garden and agricultural fields, helping grow nutritional foods for public programming, local families, food pantries, and growing beneficial habitats for the ecosystem. You are directly stewarding community-shared land and agriculture with your participation!
The Community Compost Program is modeled after the successful Bethlehem Municipal Compost program and in consultation with ANCA’s Compost for Good reflecting a growing movement towards sustainability, environmental resilience and circular systems for communities.
DO'S & DON'TSFOR COMPOSTING PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS
DO Include:
Fruit & vegetable scraps
Crushed eggshells
Coffee grounds
Meat, dairy, and bones
DO NOT Include:
Pet waste
Produce stickers or trash
"Compostable," disposable paper goods
LINKTREE FOR PARTICIPANTS
Here you can find helpful websites, information, and newsletters from the 2025 Pilot Program.
Any questions can be directed to Kelsey Trudell at kelsey@sustainablesaratoga.org
VERTICAL DRUM COMPOSTING
The method of composting you see on the Farm is a neighborhood-scale system called vertical drum composting. This system, designed by Compost for Good, is the most popular option at the organizational level for its capacity, scalability, and affordability.
WHY IS COMPOSTING IMPORTANT?
The United States sends an estimated 120 billion pounds of food to landfills every year, that’s nearly 40% of the entire food supply! Food accounts for about 22% of municipal solid waste. As it accumulates in landfills, it slowly decomposes in the absence of oxygen, producing methane, a potent greenhouse gas, while nitrogen pollution runs off into soils and waterways, contributing to harmful algae blooms.
With the community’s help, we can take part in reducing these detrimental environmental consequences for a more vibrant and resilient ecosystem by diverting our food scraps through zero waste initiatives and composting!
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