NEWS

New Locks! Watch the video if you need help using the padlocks. The digital “smart locks” were malfunctioning, unfortunately, so we returned them for a refund.

Rhinebeck Village and Town residents can now participate in a free municipal composting program, made possible through a grant from the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and a contract with a local horse farm, Ellerslie Stables. The Village Board is excited to be able to offer this climate-friendly solution to all Rhinebeckers!

GETTING STARTED

You must be a resident of the Village or Town of Rhinebeck to participate. If you're new to composting, welcome and don't worry! We have FAQs below and other opportunities for you to learn. We're confident you'll find it pretty easy!

1. Register via this web form.

2. The Village will send you a confirmed registration email within one week of approval, usually on Thursdays.

3. The confirmation email will include the quick how-to videos (also below), and you can read this webpage to understand the process.

3. The confirmation email will also include a link to a short online quiz. Pass the quiz and the landing page has the secret code to unlock the collection container in the municipal parking lot.

4. If you requested a bucket for your food scraps when you registered, villagers can pick one up at Village Hall and town residents can pick one up at Town Hall, Mon-Fri, 9am-4pm except for lunch break 12:30-1:30pm.

Help us get more participants

Tell a friend or neighbor!

HOW IT WORKS

LINE YOUR BUCKET (optional)

You can line your bucket with a piece of recycled newspaper, brown paper bag or dried leaves. Please no glossy or “coated” paper. (These contain micro-plastics!) We DO NOT accept “bio-plastic” bags—they don’t break down fast enough at our composting site.  

Tip: Stow your bucket in the fridge or freezer if you don’t plan to drop off often.

COLLECT YOUR FOOD SCRAPS

Village Compost accepts all food waste including: 

  • Fresh or moldy, cooked or raw

  • Healthy or junk food 

  • Bones, meat, fish 

  • Dairy 

  • Eggshells

  • Avocado pits 

  • Jack-o-lanterns 

  • Coffee grounds 

  • Paper tea and coffee filters

Please break food scraps larger than grapefruit or softball into quarters, especially food with a tough rind, such as whole pumpkins. 

These items are NOT accepted:

  • Pet waste, kitty litter        

  • Houseplants

  • Bulk grease, bulk cooking oil 

  • “Compostable” bio-plastics, take-out containers or cutlery

  • Produce stickers or twist ties (remove them when you get home from the store to help you remember)

Please, no "bio-plastic compostable" bags! They don’t break down at the farm!

DROP OFF YOUR FOOD SCRAPS

Participants are responsible for dropping off their food scraps. Drop-off is at your convenience, 24/7, year-round. The central collection container is located in the Municipal Parking Lot (behind Aroi, by the Farmers’ Market shed).

  1. Use your code to unlock the dumpster. Details:

    A. Dial in the four digit code on the bottom of the lock.

    B. Squeeze the latch into the lock and release. The latch should pop out.

  2. Dump your food scraps inside.

  3. Remember to lock the collection container when you’re done. Mix up at least one of the digits first and then squeeze the latch into the lock.

Tip: If you bring your food scraps in a plastic bag, please dispose of the bag in the public garbage bins in the Municipal Parking Lot. Again, even “bio-plastic” bags are NOT allowed in this program.

Ellerslie Stables, the Village’s subcontractor, will pick up the dumpster on Monday mornings, incorporate the waste into the farm’s horse manure compost process, and return the empty dumpster to the municipal parking lot that same day.

If you live in the Woods or the Gardens condos, your HOA pays for a convenient drop off location through The O Zone. You can drop off right by your clubhouse.

Any dumping of trash is strictly prohibited because it ruins the whole load! Any participant caught dumping trash will receive a $250 fine.

RINSE (YOUR BUCKET) AND REPEAT

Clean your bucket when you get home. There may be a little “ick”, but your regular trash will be much less stinky, and you’re part of an effort that’s good for the community and our planet!

PICK UP YOUR FINISHED COMPOST

Each spring, participants can pick up a portion of our "black gold" for their gardens and potted plants. We’ll send out an email with details as the time approaches.

WHY COMPOSTING MATTERS

When food waste is trapped in landfills it creates methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. Conversely, a different natural process occurs when food scraps are mixed with materials such as wood shavings, leaves, or mulch, and aerated with oxygen so that microbes can digest the waste. Carbon is sequestered, and fresh, nutrient-rich soil called compost is created. Composting turns waste into a resource! 

WHY DO YOU COMPOST?

Email us a note and/or photo of your participation. Or post on social media and tag @climatesmartrbk (Instagram) or @climatesmartrhinebeck (Facebook). Tell your friends and neighbors about Village Compost and encourage them to register. Thanks for helping us spread the word!

FAQs

Don’t see your question answered here?
Please email: trusteebertozzi@villageofrhinebeckny.gov

  • If you already compost at home or through some other method, and you prefer to continue with that—you're awesome!

  • For the 100 household pilot, we calculated that we were diverting about 2 tons of food scraps per month and reducing our CO2e by almost 4 tons per month. That’s equivalent to taking 10 cars off the road! This is according to the StopWaste Interactive Greenhouse Gas Calculator:

    https://www.stopwaste.org/at-work/reduce-and-reuse/recycling-business-waste/recycling-climate-protection/greenhouse-gas

  • Our composting contacts (The O Zone and UCRRA) have told us that it simply takes too long for these new disposable products to break down. This creates real problems in their operation, so the farm we're working with also asks us to refrain.

  • Sure, we encourage neighbors to help each other drop off food waste. Just make sure you’re both registered so we can contact you both with any updates.

  • The drop-off location is centrally located in the main municipal parking lot beside the Farmers' Market shed.

  • It is important for you to tightly shut and lock the collection dumpster after you dump your bucket of scraps. The farm cleans the collection dumpster during the weekly pickup. Each week the farmer puts shavings as a base that the food waste gets dumped onto, soaking up juices.

    During the pilot, we received zero complaints about odor.

  • We provide participants with a small lidded bucket, specifically designed for food scrap collection. Or if you have a bucket you prefer to use, that’s fine.

    We do suggest that you line your bucket with a piece of newspaper or a brown paper bag. This reduces goop and makes it easier to dump out your food waste and quicker to clean.

    You will be responsible for cleaning your own bucket.

  • It’s true, the Village runs a curbside yard waste program for leaves and brush, which we then recycle into mulch. However, we do not offer this service year round, and there are certain other logistical challenges to offering curbside food waste pickup. It’s something we’ll continue to think about.

  • We will provide training for our participants, so you’ll know what you can and can’t include.

    As for contamination from the general public, the collection dumpster is secured with locks that prevent the general public from wandering over and dumping in their trash. We may install a surveillance camera to ensure compliance.

  • The collection dumpster is closed and locked.

  • Whether these drop spots continue is at the discretion of the HOAs. Hopefully they do, as this is the most convenient option for Woods and Gardens residents! These residents are welcome to register and drop off at the Village's drop spot, if you prefer that for whatever reason.

If you already backyard compost and want to stick with that, you’re awesome!

In our research, we heard from some residents, "Well, I’ve already been composting for 30 years…"

We believe there is value in gathering data about who is already composting for grants and other reports, as well as to create a space for seasoned and new composters to collaborate. Get in touch and let us know what you’re up to!

Business Participants

Huge congratulations to our locally owned businesses who are stepping up as leaders!

Commercial Contracts

Businesses in the Village typically need curbside pickup which is not part of the municipal program. But a local service called The O Zone provides a commercial solution. Volume of food scraps vary, business to business. Village businesses are encouraged to contact The O Zone for help estimating the number of bins to fit their needs. You can also discuss logistics of bin placement and weekly curbside pickup. Check with The O Zone for their current commercial rates.

Background

It’s been a long and winding road getting this program off the ground (errr into the ground?). Check out this webpage for the history of how our dedicated volunteers on the Climate Smart Task Force made it happen.

Please explore educational information about food waste as an issue. The Task Force has done some very interesting research!