Kingston Organics

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

Phase 1 of the Kingston Organics program was launched in July 2023 with a free, voluntary food scrap drop-off program with 11 easily accessible locations across Kingston.

Kingston Organics is expanding! Phase 2 brings curbside collection for food scraps directly to your neighborhood. Residents of the City of Kingston can now sign up to receive a free city-issued 5-gallon container dedicated to collecting food scraps for weekly curbside collection.

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

Phase 2 Curbside

Program to Launch Spring 2026

Register NOW!

November 20 12:00pm ZOOM MEETING DETAILS:

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85929383001?pwd=AJKyzouaYpMJW66S4DiTN5UybGG4jo.1

Meeting ID: 859 2938 3001
Passcode: MAy0CeA2

No registration required.

November 20 5:00pm Live Public Meeting

Kingston City Hall, 420 Broadway, top floor

No registration required.

How Kingston Organics Curbside works:

CHECK OUT Kingston Organics FAQ below for more details!

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. See registration below.

2. Pick up your container – Once registered, you’ll receive instructions on where and when to pick up your city-issued 5-gallon container. Container distribution will not occur until SPRING 2026.

3. Curbside collection – Curbside collection will not start until SPRING 2026. Once the official launch date has been advertised: 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.

Note: You do NOT need to register for Phase 1 in order to participate in Phase 2.

Sign Up for Curbside Collection!

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

Kingston Organics: Phase 1: Community Food Scrap Drop-Off

Questions? Email recycling@kingston-ny.gov

Photo Credit: Julie Noble

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.

Watch the Kingston Organics webinar from May 25 here:

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.

Phase 2 FAQs:

• Registration/Eligibility

  • Who is eligible to participate in the curbside food scraps collection program?

  • All Kingston residents including homeowners and renters. Addresses must be within the City of Kingston proper (not in other towns with 12401 mailing addresses).

  • I live in an apartment or multi-family home, can I participate/get a container?

    • Yes, please register your specific address. If we see several units in one building have registered, we will likely not issue individual containers and instead will issue a building-wide rolling tote.

  • Can businesses or non-residential addresses participate?

    • Not at this time. Phase 3 -Commercial Collection is in development for 2027.

  • How do I sign up for the program?

    • Registration is at https://engagekingston.com/kingston-organics

  • Can I share my container with a neighbor or family member?

    • No, this container, like your city-issued trash and recycling containers, are for your household only.

  • What if I need more than one 5 gallon container for my curbside pick up? Is there a limit to how many containers I can sign up for?

    • Each registration will include the provision of one container per household. If additional containers are needed, please reach out to organics@kingston-ny.gov

  • Can more than one person in my household sign up?

    • We will issue one container per household, so only one person should register.

  • How do I update my contact information if it changes?

    • If your contact info changes, please send updates to organics@kingston-ny.gov

  • What if I move?

    • If you move, the City will repossess your container.

  • Can I sign up for curbside pick up if I missed the initial registration period?

    • Yes, registration will be ongoing, as will the container distribution

  • Is my container my property, to do with it what I choose?

    • No. Like the city-issued brown and blue totes, this container will be city property for your household use only for Kingston Organics.

• Collection Process

  • Where do I pick up my 5-gallon container?

    • Containers will be issued in SPRING 2026 after several months of registration. Details about how to get your container will be available at that time.

  • Can I use my own container instead of the one provided?

    • No. Like trash and recycling services, only city-issued containers are permitted

  • Can I use compostable bags? Can I use paper bags?

    • No. No bags of any type are accepted. Only food is accepted.

• Collection Schedule

  • How will I know what day my container will be picked up?

    • Kingston Organics curbside will be collected the same day as your regular trash collection.

  • What should I do if I miss a pick-up day?

    • You can bring your food scraps to one of the drop off locations anytime.

  • Why is food scraps collected once a week?

    • Our City sanitation division has the capacity to do city wide collection only one day per week per collection route.

  • What if my collection day falls on a holiday?

    • Just like garbage collection, if garbage is delayed a day, so is Kingston Organics

  • Will collection continue during inclement weather?

    • Kingston Organics will follow the garbage collection. If garbage collection is delayed, so will Kingston Organics.

• Participation

  • What is allowed in the compost container?

    • Only food is permitted. Food can be raw, cold, warm, cooked, old, moldy, frozen; dairy, meat, bones, veggies, fruits, bread, coffee grinds, grains, meals, scraps, etc. All food is good.

  • What about pet food?

    • No

  • Paper towels/tissues?

    • No

  • Compostable take out/cutlery?

    • No

  • Can I put liquids in the container?

    • Please try to minimize any large amounts of liquid.

  • Where do I put my container?

    • Place your container a few feet away from your trash and recycling totes, curbside.

  • Does the lid need to be on it? Should it be fully closed?

    • Yes, the lid should be snugly attached.

  • What do I do if my container is full before pick up and I have more food scraps?

    • If your container is full before collection, you can bring your excess food scraps to a Kingston Organics Drop off site.

  • What is not allowed in the compost container?

    • Anything but food.

  • Are there penalties if I put non-acceptable items in the container?

    • If non-food is found in the container, the container will be left behind at the curb, with the full contents in it.

  • What if I don’t fill up the 5 gallon container before pick up?

    • That’s totally fine. All households will generate a varied quantity weekly.

  • Do I need to put my container curbside every single week

    • No, just when you want to.

  • Why was my container rejected?

    • You probably had something in the container that wasn’t food.

  • What do I do if my container was rejected from pick up?

    • If your container was rejected, pull out the non-food and put it curbside the following week or bring it to a drop off site after removing the unacceptable item(s).

  • Are there weight limits for putting the container out on the curb?

    • Per City code, the weight limit is 50 pounds.

  • Can I participate in Phase 2 if I never participated in Phase 1?

    • Yes

  • Can I still participate in Phase 1?

    • Yes. By registering for Phase 2 curbside, you automatically have access to the drop off sites (Phase 1)

  • How long will the program run?

    • Kingston Organics is a new sanitation service being provided by the City as part of the Department of Public Work’s sanitation services for city taxpayers.

  • Is it seasonal?

    • No. Kingston Organics curbside collection, and drop off sites, are year round.

  • Can I stop participating in the program if I change my mind?

    • Yes. If you do, we will come and take back your city-issued container, as it is property of the City, not of the household.

  • What if I want to stop Kingston Organics and just use the container for something else?

    • That is not permitted, as the container is city property. Your container will be repossessed by the city.

  • Where would I get rid of the container?

    • If your household no longer wants to participate in Kingston Organics, then we will come and repossess it.

  • Can I trade my container with a neighbor?

    • No. The container issued to your household is for your household use only.

  • Is the container recyclable or reusable if I no longer need it?

    • The container is the property of the City. You are not permitted to dispose of it.

  • Can I pause my participation temporarily?

    • You can participate as often or as seldom as you’d like.

  • Can I switch from curbside pick up to dropping off at a different location if I prefer?

    • You are eligible to participate in both curbside and drop off, at the schedule of your choosing.

• Maintenance

  • How do I keep smells and pests out of my curbside container?

    • It is important for you to keep your container as clean as possible between collections.

  • How do I clean my container? How often?

    • To maintain a healthy environment, we recommend cleaning out your container each time it is emptied.

  • What happens if my container is damaged, lost, stolen, or vandalized?

    • Please email organics@kingston-ny.gov for a replacement.

  • What should I do if my food scraps freeze in the container in winter?

    • If you find that your food scraps are freezing in the container, store your container in a warmer location.

• Operations

  • Where do my food scraps go?

    • Kingston Organics, in the same manner as our city trash and recycling, are transported by Kingston Department of Public Works to the Ulster County Resource Recovery Agency on Flatbush Road in the Town of Ulster.

  • What happens with my food scraps?

    • Our food scraps are processed on site at UCRRA using a regulated composting system, to create a rich compost which is then sold commercially.

  • Do I have access to receiving the completed compost?

    • You can purchase bagged and bulk compost from UCRRA. Check out ucrra.org for full details.

• Economics

  • Is this service free or is there a cost?

    • This service is included in the Department of Public Work’s sanitation services, and there is no additional fee to participate.

  • How are my taxes affected by this program?

    • There will be no direct change in your taxes due to this program.

  • How does this program benefit the environment?

    • Currently, trash generated in the City of Kingston is trucked approximately 300+ miles to Seneca Meadows Landfill in Central New York. By source separating food scraps and pulling them out of the waste stream, the food scraps only travel 5 miles to Ulster County Resource Recovery Agency on Flatbush Road where they are processed into compost on site within just a few months and then sold locally as a soil amendment. With this process, we are able to eliminate the GHG emissions from trucking our waste to the landfill, free up space in the landfill, and recycle our waste into a usable product.

    • Additionally, to ensure we minimize our footprint of this new service, the City has received grant funding and purchased an all-electric garbage truck to collect the food scraps, further minimizing our carbon footprint.

• Feedback

  • What if I have questions or concerns that aren’t answered here?

    • If you have additional questions or feedback about the program, please reach out to organics@kingston-ny.gov