Kingston Organics

Curbside Collection to Begin the Week of October 5th!!

The City of Kingston has launched a free, voluntary composting program for residents!

Beginning the week of October 5, please place your Kingston Organics green bucket curbside next to your brown tote on your designated trash collection day. You can place your bucket out weekly for pick-up.

If you have not yet picked up your bucket, you can do so at the Andy Murphy Neighborhood Center, 467 Broadway: Monday through Friday between 8:30am-4:00pm.

Key things to remember:

• FOOD ONLY (no bags, no non-food, no containers)
• Place the lid on and lock in
• We will not be cleaning or rinsing out your buckets

If you want to deposit food between collections, please feel free to use the drop off locations at any time.

By participating, you help reduce waste, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and support a more sustainable Kingston.

Any questions, please reach out to organics@kingston-ny.gov

REGISTRATION IS STILL OPEN!

Register NOW!

How Kingston Organics Curbside works:

1. Sign up online – Fill out a short registration form with your contact information and household details. Note- even if you currently participate in the Kingston Organics Drop off program, you will still need to register for Phase 2 (curbside). Your current registration will not automatically enroll you in curbside.

2. Pick up your container – Once registered, please pick up your city-issued 5-gallon container at the Andy Murphy Neighborhood Center, 467 Broadway during business hours (Monday-Friday between 8:30am-4:00pm).

3. Curbside collection – Fill your container with accepted food scraps and place it on the curb a few feet away from your brown trash tote and your recycling tote for weekly pick-up. Your collection day will be the same day as your current trash pick up.

Photo Credit: Julie Noble

Kingston Organics Phase 1 (DROP OFF):

Participants are welcome to bring their food scraps to convenient drop-off locations around the city. To participate, you must register first. Once registered, you’ll receive all the information you need, including the code to the locks on the drop-off bins. By taking part, you help turn food waste into nutrient-rich compost, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and build a greener, more sustainable Kingston for everyone.

DROP-OFF LOCATIONS

Background:

The City of Kingston, in partnership with the Hudson Valley Regional Council, and support from the Kingston Conservation Advisory Council, and the Climate Smart Kingston Commission, has completed a analysis and feasibility study for diverting food waste. The Kingston Organics Diversion Plan provides guidance on a strategy for rolling out a food waste diversion program city-wide.

The plan provides strategies and best practices for allocating personnel and City budget to decrease greenhouse gas emissions produced by long-hauling waste, improving air and water quality locally and regionally.

Reducing the amount of food waste that goes to the landfills can save hundreds of thousands of dollars in tipping fees for waste removal. Food waste from Ulster County residents and small businesses is transported daily to the Seneca Meadows Landfill, a 480-mile, 7.5-hour round trip. Reduction in waste could decrease tipping fees, reduce the number of trips dump trucks take to the landfill, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, while saving taxpayers money.

Compost is a valuable commodity that returns valuable nutrients to the soil while increasing porosity. Compost starts as food scraps in your home or business kitchens, restaurant and take-out leftovers, and edible but expired or forgotten food. It is mostly a wasted resource.

The development of the Organics Diversion Plan was funded by a grant to the City of Kingston from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation through the Climate Smart Communities Grant Program. See the Draft Plan here.

The Organics Diversion Plan aligns with many other City of Kingston plans, chiefly the Kingston Climate Action Plan’s waste reduction objective. The plan also aligns with and responds to six Certification Actions in the New York State Climate Smart Communities (CSC) Program under Pledge Element 5 – Use climate-smart materials management:

1. Government Solid Waste Audit;
2. Organic Waste Program for Government Buildings;
3. Recycling Program for Public Places & Events;
4. Residential Organics Waste Program;
5. Compost Bins for Residents; and
6. Organic Waste Management Plan.