The Village of Pelham Sustainability Advisory Board (SAB) is celebrating the success of Pelham’s Food Scrap Recycling Program and inviting residents to learn how easy it is to compost at home or participate in Pelham’s free food scrap drop-off program.

New data from the Westchester County Department of Environmental Facilities shows that Pelham continues to be one of the County’s leaders in food scrap recycling. In 2025 alone, Pelham residents diverted 72.6 tons of food scraps through the Food Scrap Recycling Program. Since the program began in 2021, residents have diverted nearly 330 tons—more than 650,000 pounds—of food scraps from the waste stream to be composted. According to Westchester County, Pelham has consistently ranked among the top-performing municipalities participating in the County’s Residential Food Scrap Transportation and Disposal Program. In 2025, only two participating municipalities collected more food scraps than Pelham.

“This is truly a community success story,” said Allison Anderson, Village Trustee and Chair of the Sustainability Advisory Board. “Hundreds of Pelham residents from the Village of Pelham and Pelham Manor are helping turn food scraps into a valuable resource instead of throwing them away. We’re proud of what our community has accomplished and excited to help even more residents participate.”

The County-supported program allows residents to recycle food scraps—including fruits and vegetables, meat, dairy, bread, coffee grounds, and other food waste—at Pelham’s Food Scrap Drop-Off Site located in Lot 7 in the Village of Pelham. Collected materials are transported to Westchester County’s composting facility, where they are transformed into compost rather than disposed of as trash. Because the County subsidizes most of the collection and composting costs, the program not only diverts waste from the trash stream but also costs the municipalities less per ton than disposing of the same material as regular garbage.

To celebrate the program and encourage broader participation, the Sustainability Advisory Board has launched a new outreach campaign, “Pelham Composts: Many Homes, Many Methods.” The campaign highlights the many ways Pelham residents compost, from backyard compost bins and tumblers to simple in-bed composting systems and the Village’s convenient food scrap drop-off site.

Residents are invited to visit the SAB table at the Pelham Market this Sunday and throughout the summer to:

• Learn about different composting methods used by Pelham residents.
• Find the composting approach that works best for their household.
• Learn what materials are accepted at the Village’s Food Scrap Drop-Off Site.
• Ask questions and share their own composting experiences.

The SAB’s outreach campaign is part of the Village’s broader Climate Smart Communities initiative, which seeks to reduce waste, strengthen community sustainability, and encourage practical actions residents can take to improve Pelham’s environment.

About the Village of Pelham Sustainability Advisory Board: The Sustainability Advisory Board advises the Village Board of Trustees on sustainability initiatives that advance environmental stewardship, community well-being, and economic vitality. The Board also serves as the Village’s Climate Smart Communities Task Force and works to expand resident engagement through education, partnerships, and community programs.

Editor’s note: This press release was provided by the Village of Pelham Sustainability Advisory Board. The Pelham Examiner publishes press releases in the form received as a service to the community.