Launch of Curbside Pick Up of Food Scraps Celebrated at the Recycling Center

Village and County employees and officials gathered at the early hour of 7 am on Monday June 4 to celebrate the launch of Scarsdale Food Scrap Recycling Weekly Curbside Pickup. Instead of a ribbon cutting, food scrap bags were tossed into the truck to mark the occasion.

There were speeches from Michelle Sterling, Ron Schulhof, Mayor Dan Hochvert, Village Trustee Jane Veron, Superintendent of Public Works Benedict Salanitro and County Legislator Ben Boykin. County Executive George Latimer, Deputy County Executive Ken Jenkins and Peter McCartt from the County were also all on hand to witness the event.

Proponents hope that this historic program will bring about a sea change in waste reduction - not just for Scarsdale but for the entire county if it takes root. Scarsdale is the first town in Westchester County to run this type of program.

Anyone who would like to sign up for curbside pick-up of food scraps can do so online at http://www.scarsdale.com/495/Food-Scrap-Recycling or by emailing composting@scarsdale.com The new wheeled locking bins (you must use a Village-approved bin for the program) can be purchased at the Recycling Center office Monday through Saturday from 8 am to 3 pm and are $15 (check only).

Below are remarks made at the ceremony by Michelle Sterling, who with Ron Schulhof, was the driving force behind the initiative.

My name is Michelle Sterling, I’m on the Scarsdale Conservation Advisory Council and am the co-founder of the Scarsdale Food Scrap Recycling Program along with Ron and our fantastic Department of Public Works.

I would like to share a few closing remarks about this momentous occasion and where we can go from here.

One of the many reasons I’m proud to be part of the Scarsdale and Westchester community is that we don’t just care about what is happening, we care enough to do something about it. Then from there we work together to get things done.

We all know it makes sense to recycle food scraps. We have seen Scarsdale and the Westchester community embrace this change. All 7 of the schools here in Scarsdale are recycling their food scraps as well as 40 other schools around Westchester. Many houses of worship have zero waste initiatives. And now municipalities throughout the County are launching food scrap recycling programs. We are closing the loop – taking food scraps, which contain valuable nutrients and energy – and turning them back into soil! It makes sense environmentally, and if we all do it right, it will also make sense fiscally.

We see every day that people want to do the right thing, and that they WILL do the right thing if we give them a way to do it. Before this municipal food scrap recycling program, composting your food scraps wasn’t feasible for most people. But there are so many that want to do something to reduce their environmental impact. Now residents are not only participating but they’re saying “Thank you for bringing us this program!!” They share with us their appreciation for being able to do something to help the environment through this program, and to be able to model best practices for their children and grandchildren.

As we look forward, I see a Westchester where food scrap recycling is as commonplace as recycling paper, glass, plastic and metal. A Westchester where someone holding a banana peel looks around for the food scrap recycling bin instead of the trash. A Westchester where visitors come and see what we’re doing and bring these initiatives back to their own community. I see a Westchester where food scraps are turned into compost right here in the County and residents can go pick up that compost for their own gardens. I see a Westchester leading the way. That will be a great day. And that day is coming.

Today is a step in getting there. All of us here have the courage, the foresight, and the vision to make this happen. And we can be proud that we didn’t wait for someone else, but we acted. I’m so excited/proud to be here with everyone at the start of this new initiative and to move forward on it with all of you. Thank you.