NEW HAMPTON – Restaurants,
supermarkets and other businesses generate a significant amount of organic
scraps and Orange County is in the process of developing a large-scale
composting operation in New Hampton.
It is projected that 16,132 tons of food scraps are generated in the
county annually and this facility, which is under development, will address
how to handle that and help the environment, said county Recycling Coordinator
Ermin Siljkovic. Of that,Orange County will be able to address 2,500 tons
per year.
“We will be conducting outreach to larger scale food waste generators
such as restaurants, supermarkets, box stores, food processors, possibly
some farms,” Siljkovic said. “Residents will be working on
more of a nuanced local approach. We have organized compost bin sales.”
The project, slated for a four-acre site, is anticipated to cost about
$1 million to develop with half provided by the state Depart of Environmental
Conservation and the remainder coming from the county as in-kind services.
