Happy Earth Day!

Here’s how to start composting

By CLOEY CALLAHAN
Posted 4/21/21

This Earth Month, a number of Newburgh-based organizations have joined together for the city sector of an overall county-led compost and rain barrel sale in an effort to encourage residents to go …

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Happy Earth Day!

Here’s how to start composting

Posted

This Earth Month, a number of Newburgh-based organizations have joined together for the city sector of an overall county-led compost and rain barrel sale in an effort to encourage residents to go green and minimize environmental footprints.

The composter is on sale for $55 while the rain barrel is reduced to $69. Both are on sale between April 1 to June 10, with a June 12 pick-up date at the Safe Harbors Green, located at the corner of Broadway and Liberty Street in Newburgh.

“Food waste contributes to the cost of trash removal and contamination of recycled materials,” read the website for the sale. “By composting we can reduce overall waste, and create wonderful amendments to our garden soil. In harnessing the rain, we minimize the burden on our water management infrastructure and potentially reduce our water bills by using rainwater for gardening.”

The initiative was made possible by Orange County DPW Division of Environmental Facilities & Services who “is partnering with a coalition of organizations from the greater Newburgh area and the Town of Highlands Citizens Environmental Advisory Committee and the Community Garden at Holy Innocents.” The Newburgh organizations include Beahive Newburgh, the city council, Greater Newburgh Parks Conservancy, Common Ground Department of Small Interventions, Heart & Soil Flowers, the Newburgh Armory Unity Center, the Newburgh Urban Food and Farm Initiative, Safe Harbors of the Hudson and Habitat for Humanity of Greater Newburgh.

“As folks are still kind of in a quasi-quarantine stage, and many have in the past year or so gotten into gardening, which composting is a great compliment to, and while we’re at home generating a lot more waste, ordering out or cooking our own meals, we’re inevitably producing more food scraps,” said Ermin Siljkovic Orange County Recycling Coordinator. “While we’re producing more food scraps, and we’re at home more, the natural thing is let’s garden more. It’s a great time and opportunity to promote and educate people about the benefits of composting and how to compost.”

The hyperlocal approach, between the City of Newburgh, Town of Highlands and Tuxedo, is an effort to draw more attention on how to go green in your own community.

“In Newburgh, there are a lot of great organizations that care about the environment and community,” said Naomi Hersson-Ringskog, who spearheaded Newburgh’s collaboration with this. “For me, it was really important to bring a lot of other people on the board. It’s showcasing the local interest in culture, which I think is really important when you’re talking about instituting more environmentally friendly habits or when the municipality is thinking about sanitation.”

The pair say the sale is the perfect opportunity to try composting, even if it’s your first time. The day of the pick-up (which is also the same day as the Newburgh Farmers Market!), experts from the Cornell Cooperative Extension will be on site to answer questions on how to start composting and what the dos and don’ts are.

“It’s a pop-up, turn key event that shows even you can compost,” said Siljkovic. “You don’t have to be an expert. We want this to be as mainstream as possible and break the mold by getting as many people composting.”

In addition to composting, Hersson-Ringskog encourages residents to get involved with their municipalities and learn other ways to care for the environment by reaching out to their elected officials.

To order, visit orangecompostersale.ecwid.com. For more information on green efforts in Orange County, visit orangecountygov.com/EFS.