The St. Lawrence County Seat

Canton Launches Food Waste Recovery Project

April 23, 2019

Canton is celebrating Earth Day 2019 by launching a residential food waste recovery project. The joint Village/Town Sustainability Committee and the Village Department of Public Works are piloting the project to encourage residents to keep their food scraps out of the waste stream and help create fertile compost for future use.

The project, which will allow Canton residents to drop off food waste and later pick up compost for their yards and gardens, was introduced at the Green Living Fair on Saturday, April 20. “We’re up and going,” says Carol Pynchon, Village Trustee and a member of the Sustainability Committee’s food and ag sub-committee. “People can begin dropping their scraps off any time.”

To learn more about how the program works and where to drop off food waste, click here.

“A key to the success of this project will be ensuring that residents follow the guidelines about what can and can’t be left for composting,” says Pynchon. “A sign at the drop-off site will remind you, but it is important to remember that this is strictly for food waste. We are counting on participants in the project to observe these guidelines.” A complete list of what is acceptable for composting can be found here.

“Canton is a Climate Smart Community, part of a network of New York communities working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve climate resilience,” explains Ann Heidenreich, chair of the Sustainability Committee. “Offering residential composting is a great way to reduce the organic kitchen waste you send add to the waste stream and cut your disposal costs, all while reducing greenhouse gas emissions from food decaying in the landfill. And in the end you’ll benefit from a useful product that will add nutrients to and improve the quality of soil for trees, gardens, and more. “

Learn more about Canton’s Sustainability Committee here. The committee meets in the board room of Canton’s Municipal Building (60 Main Street) at 5 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month. The meetings are open and everyone is welcome.

Last modified: July 9, 2022