Warwick Community Composting program to grow dramatically

Community Composting, a Sustainable Warwick project launched in 2022, has recently made two changes that organizers say will help the program continue to expand.

One change will help the program operate on a year-round basis. Since the program began, it has been based at the Warwick Valley Farmers Market, which limits participation to Sundays only, April to November. As the 2023 Farmers Market approached its closing date, many compost “regulars” asked “What’s the story for after Nov 19th?” Now that question has an answer.

According to the organizers, two recent alliances have been struck that will enable the compost collection to happen throughout the winter months. Both Price Chopper and the year-round Warwick Indoor Market in Pine Island have agreed to be collection points. Final details — days, hours, starting date — are still being worked out, but they will soon be available at sustainablewarwick.org/compost.

The second change involves Warwick restaurants joining the community composting effort. One restaurant, Eddie’s Roadhouse, has not only begun to hand-deliver their weekly compost, but owner Eddie Cullari Jr. and chef Josh Liepke have offered to reach out to other area eateries and get them to sign on.

Christy Erfer, one of the compost program coordinators, said, “It’s a great Warwick success story when two five-gallon buckets collected in mid-2022 has grown to about 300 gallons weekly today and has the potential of producing 10 times that amount regularly.”

As to the larger picture, Kate Debold, another program coordinator added, “What’s so great about composting? So many positives, but put simply, when composted, food waste converts organic material into nutrient-rich soil for healthier growing, and keeps the carbon out of the atmosphere.”