Villages of Pelham Manor and Pelham—which equals Town of Pelham—start food-scrap recycling
April 7, 2021
Editor’s note: The Village of Pelham and Village of Pelham Manor issued dueling press releases on the beginning of food-scrap recycling. To avoid confusion by having two stories published, we provide the details here in one story.
Pelham Manor
The Board of Trustees and the Administration are excited to announce the official launch of Pelham Manor’s new voluntary Food Scrap Recycling Program (Program). This Program expands our regular two-day per week refuse and one-day per week recyclables and organics collection program. Residents who wish to participate in the Program can collect their food scraps at home and then bring them over to the Food Scrap Drop-Off site on Sparks Avenue.
This program, which has been under consideration for the better part of five years, is a partnership between the Village of Pelham Manor, the Village of Pelham and Westchester County. We would like to thank Westchester County for being the catalyst for this launch. Westchester County has recently reduced the food scrapping disposal cost (tip fee) to the same cost as the rest of our waste stream and positioned us to take advantage of a future program which will convert our food waste into renewable energy (biogas through food waste digestion)! This was an exciting game changer that resulted in the Food Scrap Recycling Program meeting our triple bottom line (Social, environmental and financial benefit).
We would also like to thank the Village of Pelham for entering into an equal partnership with us via an intermunicipal agreement (IMA). As part of the IMA, the Village of Pelham Manor pays the Village of Pelham its half of the costs for hosting the Program’s drop off site through a fee (just under $9,500 the first year and just over $8,000 for each of the next two years). The drop off site is located in Parking Lot 7, north of the Village of Pelham DPW yard, behind Rockwells (enter from Sparks Avenue).For detailed information about this Program and how to sign-up to participate, visit our Food Scrapping web page www.pelhammanor.org/foodscraps
Yours in service,
Jennifer Monachino Lapey, Mayor
A. Michelle DeLillo, Deputy Mayor
Bridget (Breda) A. Bennett, Trustee
Joseph C. Senerchia, Trustee
Maurice I. Owen-Michaane, Trustee
Pelham
I’m excited to announce the official launch of the Pelham Residential Food Scrap Recycling Program! This is a partnership between both villages and Westchester County, so starting next week, all Pelham residents can bring food scraps to the Food Scrap Drop-Off site located in Parking Lot 7 (north of the Village of Pelham DPW yard, behind Rockwells – enter from Sparks Avenue). All are welcome to join us for the official kickoff of the site on Saturday, April 10th at 11:00am. We will be joined by Westchester County Executive George Latimer, New York State Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, leadership from both villages and our most prestigious guests: the volunteers who made this possible.
This program is one that many residents have wanted for years. Composting food scraps is a win-win. It reduces the amount of trash we produce and transforms food waste into a resource that’s beneficial to the environment. It results in cleaner soil, water and air. But even though we’ve wanted to launch this site for quite some time, this service would not be possible without the incredible support of the Environmental Coalition of the Pelhams (EcoPel). EcoPel awarded the Village a grant this year that covers all the startup costs related to the site. Alongside their financial support, the volunteers on the Sustainability Advisory Board and the Climate Smart Communities Task Force have spent months working closely with Deputy Village Clerk Cara Farrell and Trustee Hanan Kamal Eldahry. They’ve planned the site, sold starter kits, created the necessary signage and developed educational and promotional materials to make sure the site would be successful. Please join me in thanking them for their amazing leadership and commitment to our community.
Of course, the best way to thank them is to start using the site! While it’s not required, we strongly encourage all participants to purchase a “starter kit,” available for $21/kit. The starter kits include a countertop pail, a transportation bin and a roll of compostable bags. Village of Pelham residents can sign up for a kit by sending an email to [email protected] and Village of Pelham Manor residents can sign up by emailing [email protected].
Thank you to everyone who has worked so hard to bring us to this point. What a great way to welcome the warmer weather!
Best,
Chance