When Kathryn Cervino moved from Queens to Upper Brookville, she quickly realized there were no local food scraps drop-off sites. As president of the Coastal Preservation Network, she had been composting in New York City for years, so the lack of options on Long Island motivated her to take action.
“There’s so much food waste that we could use,” she said. “It’s a shame to just throw it away.”
Cervino began a composting pilot program in Upper Brookville. The village offered space on public property for a food drop-off site. In just five weeks, the program collected over 300 pounds of food scraps from about 20 participants. The compost will eventually transform into nutrient-rich soil to help local plants thrive.
Recently, a dozen residents gathered at Upper Brookville’s Village Hall to learn about composting. Cervino shared tips on balancing food scraps with materials like leaves and wood chips to optimize the composting process. Participants like Mauree Akhi, a Stony Brook University graduate in sustainability, believe community efforts can promote composting.
“The grassroots is where real change happens,” Akhi noted.
In nearby Sea Cliff, Laura Russo runs a similar initiative. She collects food waste from families and local businesses, then processes it at a facility that uses a three-bin system to enhance composting. Unfortunately, Sea Cliff residents currently lack formal municipal drop-off options, which Russo hopes to change.
Sea Cliff Mayor Elena Villafane acknowledged the community’s commitment to environmental issues but highlighted the logistical challenges of expanding such programs.
Composting not only helps reduce waste but also returns valuable nutrients to the soil. Jonathan M. Lehrer, a professor at Farmingdale State College, emphasizes that the organic material discarded in landfills contains “stored organic energy” that can benefit the environment. He points out that when food scraps end up in landfills, it’s a significant loss.
In New York City, composting is mandatory, and there are curbside programs for residents. However, Long Island’s composting efforts remain fragmented. The state has recently awarded grants to areas like Port Washington North for composting initiatives, while Riverhead and Southold have already started their own programs.
Claire Brezel of Residents Forward, which supports the Port Washington North project, believes municipalities should take the lead in these efforts. “It’s essential we divert food waste from landfills and put it back into the ground,” she said.
As more communities embrace composting, the hope is that this grassroots movement will inspire broader municipal support. With each composting program established, the impact on reducing food waste—and its benefit to our environment—grows stronger.
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