Solid Waste & Recycling Newsletter 

Expanded Funding Opportunity: NYSP2I Food Waste Reduction & Diversion Reimbursement Program

The grant eligibility criteria has been expanded from NYS businesses, municipalities, or non-profits to include food waste recyclers and food waste haulers.

About the Grant
The Food Waste Reduction & Diversion Reimbursement Program at RIT offers a reimbursement of up to 44 percent  (in most cases not to exceed $100,000) of eligible equipment costs upon fulfillment of the program requirements. Eligible equipment includes purchases that will divert excess food and food scraps (food waste) from landfill or incineration. Diversion includes prevention, donation and recycling.

Who is Eligible
Municipalities, non-profits, or businesses registered in New York State that produce, haul or recycle more than one ton of excess food or food scraps per week.

Find a Food Scraps Drop-Off Spot or Residential Organics Collection Service Near You

Residential food scraps collection services and community food scraps drop-off spots are popping up across the state. Both are a great way to compost your food scraps locally if you can’t at home. Residential food scraps collection services collect food scraps at your curb while community food scraps drop-off spots allow you to drop your food scraps off at a designated location and time, such as your local farmers market or community garden. In return, the compost from these programs is used to build local healthy soils. Find a food scraps drop-off spot or residential food scraps collection service near you.

Spotlight: Town of Amherst Food Scraps Drop-Off Program

The Town of Amherst Recycling and Waste Committee, in collaboration with the Highway Department, are off to a strong start with their new Food Scraps Drop-Off program. This seasonal program led by Sashti Balasundaram has diverted more than 4,000 lbs. of organic material destined for landfills since June 2019. This program is intended to benefit the Town by improving local soil and air conditions by reducing the amount of trash sent to landfills. Volunteers from the Organics Subcommittee are tabling every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Williamsville Farmers Market. At the market, volunteers hand out educational flyers to inform the community on the importance and ease of recycling and composting. They have two large containers to store food scraps and are averaging over 100 lbs. of material each week from residents, even during COVID-19. In addition to their seasonal market, the Amherst Highway Department at North Forest Road hosts a year-round drop-off where residents can participate 7 days a week from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. to drop off their scraps. Learn more about the Town of Amherst food scraps drop-off program.

Learn more about developing a food scraps drop off spot in your community from a recently recorded webinar hosted during the 2020 Virtual NYS Organics Summit. 

Guidance for Managing Recalled Alcohol-Based Hand Sanitizer

In July 2020, the Federal Food and Drug Administration issued a warning about a sharp increase in hand sanitizer products that are labeled to contain ethanol (also known as ethyl alcohol) but that have tested positive for methanol contamination. Methanol, or wood alcohol, is a substance that can be toxic when absorbed through the skin or ingested and can be life-threatening when ingested. The FDA is working with manufacturers to recall products. This guidance addresses actions that can be taken to dispose of recalled hand sanitizer.

• Households with recalled hand sanitizer products should take advantage of any return, takeback, or exchange programs for the products they possess. If a takeback program is not available, alcohol-based hand sanitizer generated by a household can legally be disposed of with regular trash, though DEC recommends that it be taken to a local household hazardous waste (HHW) collection event or facility. Residents can check with their municipality for available HHW collection events or facilities in the area.
• Businesses are also encouraged to take advantage of any return, takeback, or exchange programs for hand sanitizer products they possess. Hazardous waste regulations provide an exemption for any amount of alcohol-based hand sanitizer that is returned to the manufacturer or to a recycler that can reclaim the material. Generators are required to notify DEC as described in 6NYCRR Part 371.1(c)(7) that they are taking advantage of this exemption. If reclamation or return to the manufacturer is not available, a business that disposes more than 100 kilograms (220 pounds) of alcohol-based hand sanitizer must ensure that the waste is transported under a hazardous waste manifest to an authorized hazardous waste disposal facility. Businesses that generate less than 100 kilograms per month of all hazardous waste may self-transport up to 100 kilograms of the waste to solid waste management facilities that are authorized to receive it. For businesses with questions, please email: info.sqg@dec.ny.gov.

Conference, Workshops & Webinars:

• September 16, 2020: Updates on the NYS Food Donation & Food Scraps Recycling Law - Webinar
• October 20 -22, 2020: Northeast Recycling Council Fall Conference - Rocky Hill, Connecticut

Funding/RFP Opportunities - Application Deadlines

• Food Waste Reduction & Diversion Reimbursement Program - Rolling Grant

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 and it could be featured in an upcoming Solid Waste & Recycling Newsletter. 

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