Solid Waste & Recycling Newsletter 

NYS P2I Community Grants Program

Funding is available for community organizations, municipal departments, and other public sector and not-for-profit entities for projects that raise awareness and understanding of pollution prevention practices and lead to implementation at the local level. View past Community Grants projects.

Apply by May 31, 2019 (Note: While the P2I Community Grants web page is under revision, you can access the Community Grants RFA through Dropbox.)

Compost Operations Training Course

Join August 5 - 9, 2019 in Ithaca, NY for a 40 hour, five-day course focused on giving you the knowledge you need to run a successful composting facility.

From compost operators to environmental and agricultural consultants to local and state regulators, the training course is for anyone who wants quality instruction from leading composting professionals and educators on the art and science of commercial scale compost production and marketing. In addition to in-depth lectures, the course provides hands-on practice through indoor and outdoor activities, as well as tours to local facilities where the theories meet reality.

Register Now! Early Bird Registration ends June 5th, 2019.

The New Composter Webinar Series

Join the United States Composting Council Young Professionals for the "New Composter" Series Part 2 - Business Strategies to Get Off the Ground May 21st from 4 p.m. - 4:45 p.m. Hear from Peter Moon (O2 Compost) and Ron Alexander (R. Alexander Associates) on what you should be considering when planning for financial success and product marketing. Registration now open!

Listen to The New Composter Part 1: Building a Composting Business

USCC Young Professionals Mentoring Program

USCC invites members with professional business experience in the compost manufacturing and collection industry to mentor an entrepreneur, a young professional college graduate or industry employee over the age of 21 and under 40 to the Young Professionals Mentoring program. USCC also invites young professionals interested in or currently working in the organics recycling industry to sign up for a mentor. Learn more about the Young Professionals Mentoring Program, and submit your application as a mentor or mentee by May 31, 2019.

#RecycleRightNY - Keep your food scraps out!

Food scraps are valuable, but not in your household recycling. Composting organic materials, such as food scraps, reduces the amount of waste that ends up in landfills or combustion facilities. However, food scraps put in household recycling bins can actually ruin valuable recyclables and those equally valuable food scraps are lost as well.

Let's #RecycleRightNY - don't cover your recyclables in food! Your plastics want to become clothing, carpeting, and playground equipment, and your cardboard wants to become the box for your next doorstop delivery. Food, excess food residue, and liquids in your recycling bin can decrease the value of these items and prevent them from being made into new things. Help improve the quality of your recyclables by only putting items in your household recycling bin that your local recycling program accepts.

Join the #RecycleRightNY Movement

#RecycleRightNY is a 12-month education campaign for 2019, focused on supporting efforts to reduce contamination in residential recycling programs across New York State. Learn more on how to receive free downloadable #RecycleRightNY campaign resources for your own social media and digital and print newsletters.

Upcoming Events

• May 18, 2019: Homeowners Cleanup - Oyster Bay
• May 18, 2019: Repair Café - Woodstock
• May 18, 2019: Repair Café - Warwick
• May 18, 2019: Repair Café - Pound Ridge
• May 18, 2019: Electronics "Plus" Recycling Event - Cayuga County
• May 18, 2019: Repair Café - Victor
• May 18, 2019: Dare to Repair Café - Buffalo
• May 18, 2019: Household Hazardous Waste Collection - Tompkins County
• May 18, 2019: Composting Made Easy Workshop - Troy
• May 23, 2019: Zero Food Waste Challenge - Brooklyn
• May 25, 2019: Repair Café - New Paltz
• June 1, 2019: Dare to Repair Café - Buffalo
• NYC Recycling Events

Conferences, Workshops & Webinars

• May 19 - 22, 2019: Federation Conference - Lake George
• May 21, 2019: The New Composter: Business Strategies to Get Off the Ground - Webinar
• May 23, 2019: NYC Food Waste Fair - NYC
• June 4, 2019: Managing Food Waste in New York: Opportunities, Innovative Technologies and Best Practices - Rochester
• June 5, 2019: Capital District Food Summit - Albany
• June 21 - 22, 2019: NYCxReuse Conference + Expo - NYC
• August 5 - 9, 2019: USCC Composter Operations Training Course - Ithaca

Funding Opportunities - Application Deadlines

• May 31, 2019: NYS P2I Community Grants Program (Note: NYS P2I's web page is currently being renovated. The Community Grants RFA is available for download via DropBox.)
• June 1, 2019: NYC Curb-to-Market Challenge
• Recycling Partnership 2019 Residential Curbside Recycling Grant Program - Rolling Grant Program while funding is available

We Want To Hear From You!

Is there a topic you'd like to learn more about or a public event or workshop related to recycling (organics, textiles, traditional recyclables, etc.) you'd like the greater community to know more about? E-mail us at: organicrecycling@dec.ny.gov