POUGHKEEPSIE – The Dutchess County Division of Solid Waste Management has launched a new grant program for municipalities to purchase and install composting equipment to provide local composting opportunities for residents.
The county is offering matching grant funds of up to $50,000 per project, to partner with towns, villages, cities and school districts that are looking to reduce food and organic waste through composting.
The program will enable communities to purchase and install “in-vessel aerobic composters” that will allow people to dispose of organic residuals, potentially including food scraps, close to home.
The composting machines provide a controlled decomposition process to turn the organic materials into composted material, that residents then take home for use as rich soil additive or mulch for gardening and landscaping.
For assistance with the application process, applicants can contact the county Division of Solid Waste Management at 845-463-6020 or solidwastemgmt@dutchessny.gov.
