NYS Compost Awareness Week 2022
The 2022 theme is:
Recipe for Regeneration: Compost
Dates: Sunday, May 1st - Saturday, May 7th
NYS Compost Awareness Week occurs each year during the first full week of May. Join NYSAR3 and communities across the State for this annual celebration that promotes International Compost Awareness Week (ICAW), an initiative by the Compost Research and Education Foundation (CREF) that strives to raise public awareness about the many benefits of composting and how to make and use compost to regenerate soils.
See below for a list of events and resources related to composting. Do you know of events happening in your region? Submit information to NYSAR3's Organics Council Chair, Jesse Kerns, at jekerns@syr.edu to be considered for inclusion in the listings below:
Composting Educational Opportunities
- April 30 (3:30 PM): Backyard Composting with Jennifer Armstrong of Sustainable Saratoga (Saratoga Springs, NY)
- May 1 (1 PM): Just Eat It: A Food Waste Story screening with UCRRA (Saugerties, NY)
- May 1 (11 AM): Compost Fest with Ross Park Zoo (Binghamton, NY) - Email Jessica Gorman at jgorman@rossparkzoo.org for more information.
- May 2 (9 AM): Governor's Island Compost Site Tour with the NYC Compost Project hosted by Earth Matter (New York, NY)
- May 3 (6:30 PM): Kiss The Ground screening with the Long Island Organics Council (Long Island/Virtual) - Email liorganicscouncil@gmail.com for more information.
- May 4 (12 PM): Vermicomposting 101 with UCRRA (Ulster County/Virtual)
- May 4 (5 PM): Joy of Home Composting at Kerbers Farm (Huntington, NY)
- May 5 (6 PM): Compost Works Drop-off Program presentation with Grow Amsterdam NY (Amsterdam, NY)
- May 7 (9 AM): Compost Giveaway with the Tompkins County Department of Recycling and Materials Management and Cayuga Compost (Ithaca, NY)
- May 7 (10 AM): Coffee and Compost (Cortland, NY)
- May 7 (1 PM): Composting 101 with Josh Enderle of CCE Broome County (Binghamton, NY)
- May 7 (11 AM): Home Composting 101 with Grow Amsterdam NY (Amsterdam, NY) - Email growamsterdamny@gmail.com for more information.
- May 7 (12 PM): Kids Can Compost with Khila Pecoraro of CCE Schenectady County (Glenville, NY)
- May 7 (9 AM): Compost Demonstrations with Bethlehem CMS students at the Delmar Farmers Market (Delmar, NY)
- May 7 (1 PM): Grounds For A Peel compost facility in-person tour (Centereach, NY) - Email liorganicscouncil@gmail.com for more information.
- May 14 (9 AM): Composting Workshop with the Cambridge Food Co-op (Cambridge, NY)
- May 17 (1 PM): Intro to Home Composting with UCRRA (Modena, NY)
- June 23 (7 PM): Reducing the Waste Stream: The Role of Composting with Jean Bonhotal of CWMI (Columbia County/Virtual)
- July 16 (10 AM): Columbia County Climate Carnival with Columbia County EMC (Chatham, NY)
Compost Bin Sales & Giveaways
- Albany, NY: https://albanynyrecycles.com/albany-composts/ (Ongoing)
- Bethlehem, NY: https://bethlehem.compostersale.com/ (Order Deadline - April 2)
- Troy, NY: https://troy.compostersale.com/ (Order Deadline - April 6)
- Kingston, NY: https://ucrra.org/event/spring-compost-bin-sale/ (Order Deadline - May 7)
Food Scraps Drop-Off & Collection Services
If you are unable to compost at home, check out the map below to see if there are any food scraps drop-off programs or residential collection services near you.
If you are interested in helping your community to collect and compost more food scraps, consider becoming a "Soil Maker" or a "Soil Supporter" by checking out MakeSoil.
Home Composting Resources
Are you interested in learning how to compost at home or sharing educational composting resources with others? Explore the links below:
- NYS Department of Environmental Conservation: "Easy Home Composting!" Poster
- Cornell Waste Management Institute: "Composting at Home" Guide
- Cornell Cooperative Extension Tompkins County: "Quick-Start Guide to Compost"
- US Composting Council: "Residential Composting during COVID-19" Factsheet
- US Environmental Protection Agency: "Composting At Home" Web Page
- Institute for Local Self-Reliance: "Home Composting Basics"
- National Public Radio: "How To Compost At Home"
Compost Videos & Music
- Kiss the Ground: "The Compost Story" Video
- Nate & Hila: "Compost (feat. DiorNoel) - A Portrait of the NYC Composting Community" Music Video
- Rot N' Roll: "Rot'n'Roll" Digital Album
- DEC/Town of Bethlehem/FoodSraps360: The Town of Bethlehem's Food Scraps Composting Facility Facebook Video
- DEC: Troubleshooting Your Compost Pile with DEC's Gary Feinland Facebook Video
NYS CAW 2021 News Coverage
- Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC): DEC Announces May 2-8 New York State Compost Awareness Week
- Adirondack Almanack: Grow, Eat, Compost, Repeat! Compost Awareness Week
- Ithaca.com: Compost Giveaway at Newfield Town Hall May 6
- Waste Advantage Magazine: NYSDEC Announces May 2 – 8 New York State Compost Awareness Week
NYS CAW Ambassadors & Educators
Are you interested in organizing a compost-related event for your community or helping to promote NYS Compost Awareness Week? If so, consider joining a network of NYS compost educators, community organizers, and local governments who are actively participating and supporting each other in this year's celebrations. Our final meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 26th from 12:00-12:30 p.m. To join, email NYSAR3's Organics Council Chair, Jesse Kerns, at jekerns@syr.edu.