Join the interest list to be notified when registration opens for 2026! 

Registration will be open in Winter 2025 for the 2026 season. 

We will be welcoming participants to join us in 2026 beginning in April running through November. There will be 150 spots available in the program and registration will be open until all spots are filled. 

The Community Compost program offers participants flexible food scrap drop-offs and educational opportunities in compost and sustainability.

At the beginning of the program, there is a training session that all members are required to attend. There is an annual cost of $80 per household to become a member of the program, this cost directly supports one seasonal staff support in the program. There are scholarships available for participants who might not otherwise be able to join.

We hope that you will join us in turning food waste into a valuable resource to enrich our shared land!

Step 1: Sign Up for the Interest List: Fill out a short form to express your interest in joining the program. This is not a commitment, but it guarantees you'll receive registration info when available.

Step 2: Register When Notified: We’ll email everyone on the interest list with a registration link and time when spots become available. 

Step 3: 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. You can keep it on your counter, under the sink, or in your freezer.

Step 5: Drop Off at Pitney Meadows: Once you have attended the training session, you can bring your scraps to 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, Closing the Loop: 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.