Monroe County is developing a plan to reduce organic waste in the community and divert it from landfills, and it is looking for public input to guide that effort.
The county is seeking feedback from three groups: residents, farmers, and business owners. It has released surveys specific to each group and they can be found at monroecounty.gov/organics-management-plan.
The plan will look at existing programs, policies, and regulations around organic waste such as food scraps and lawn clippings. And it will detail strategies for the prevention and diversion of organic waste across the county.
In a practical sense, it could lay the groundwork for things like food scrap recycling and composting programs or different approaches to keeping yard waste out of landfills.
The county is already engaged in some organic waste diversion efforts. For example, it is partnering with the town of Pittsford on a residential food scrap recycling trial program that's proved popular. The town's website notes that the program can accommodate 500 households and that it is full.
Participants collect their food scraps at home then drop them off at the town's dog park, which is the collection site. The scraps are collected by Natural Upcycling, an organic waste collection company based in Livingston County, and are processed in an anaerobic digester at Noblehurst Farms, also located in Livingston County.
