1. Where do I get a small countertop bin and large bin?
Town of Orangetown residents can easily get FREE Food Scrap Kits at the Orangetown Highway Department located at 119 Route 303, Orangeburg, NY from 7 am – 4 pm. Proof of residency is required.
2. What is in a Food Scrap Kit?
Orangetown’s Food Scrap Kit includes: 1 small bin for collection, 1 large bin for transport, 15 small Rockland Green compostable bags.
3. Am I required to use the countertop bin and large bin being offered by Orangetown?
Residents may use any bin they would like to collect food scraps. Any container with a snug fitting lid that will fit under your sink or on your kitchen counter will work. Suggested sizing for the countertop pail is from 1 to 2.5 gallons. Suggested sizing for the large bin is 5 to 6 gallons. However, you must use the Rockland Green brown compostable bags when you drop off your Food Scraps at the drop-off site. Loose food scraps are not permitted.
4. Where can I purchase additional compostable brown bags?
Compostable brown bags are free to all Orangetown residents and can be found at the Highway Department located at 119 Route 303, Orangeburg, NY. Their hours of operation are Monday-Friday from 7 am – 4 pm. Bags are also available at all Orangetown libraries, Nyack Village Hall and Piermont Village Hall. Proof of residency is required.
5. Can I use plastic bags labeled “biodegradable” or “compostable”?
Regular, biodegradable and compostable plastic bags are not acceptable items. They will damage the composting machines. You must use the Rockland Green brown 100% compostable bags.
6. Am I required to use compostable bags?
You must use the Rockland Green brown compostable bags available for free to all residents at the Orangetown Highway Department located at 119 Route 303, Orangeburg, NY. Their hours of operation are Monday-Friday from 7 am – 4 pm.
7. Will composting be messy or smelly?
Collecting food scraps should not be any more messy or smelly than putting food scraps in your trash. The same materials are being collected, just in a different container.
8. What happens to the food scraps after they leave Orangetown’s drop-off site?
All material collected is processed and made into a soil amendment by Rockland Green’s Biosolids Co-Composting Facility in Hillburn, New York. They use specialized processes to quickly break down the organic matter – even meat scraps, fish and bones. The soil amendment is then sold for commercial and industrial use.
9. What is the difference between using the Orangetown Food Scrap Recycling program and backyard composting?
Good compost can be made in a backyard composter or in a commercial composting facility. The difference between the two is that a backyard composter is limited to certain foods (fruits, vegetables, coffee grounds, egg shells), while a commercial composting facility can accept any food scraps. Food such as meat, fish, dairy, bones, shells, pasta, bread, rice, fats and oils can all be composted at a commercial facility. If you already have a backyard composter, it is suggested to keep composting in your backyard and use Orangetown’s program for those foods that can’t go into a backyard composter.
10. Why should I recycle my food scraps?
Food makes up 30% of what people send to landfills and incinerators, which then creates greenhouse gases and contributes to climate change. When composted, food scraps and organic waste can be turned into a soil amendment that helps grow more plants, fruits and vegetables!