100% Recovery of Food Discards

Type of practice Recycle

Name of practice 100% Recovery of Food Discards

Name of main actor Frost Valley YMCA, Claryville, New York

Type of actor(s) Company

Location United States of America

Stage of implementation End-of-life

Year of implementation 1990

What was/is being done? Using a static aerobic composting system, this 6,000-acre residential educational and recreational facility in the Catskill Mountains composts 100% of the food discards from its kitchen and dining room. Kitchen staff put all food preparation scraps, and paper towels in unlined 30-gallon plastic cans in the kitchen. Guests deposit their leftovers in an unlined can in the dining room. Staff bring filled cans to a refrigerated room adjacent to the dining hall. When they have collected approximately 30 cans, they empty the cans into a Knight standard feed mixer, which holds up to 6 tons of material. Staff wash cans after each use. Staff weigh food and other material going into the mixer and then add an equal amount of wood chips as a bulking agent. After mixing, materials are piled in a holding bay; material that has gone through the separator is windrow composted for 13-15 weeks. Landscaping projects and an onsite green house and organic garden demonstrate uses of finished compost.

Outcomes and impacts From 1990, when Frost Valley began its comprehensive waste reduction program, to 1997, the facility reduced its total solid waste by 53% (by weight). In 1997, Frost Valley avoided approximately $9,700 in waste disposal costs. It also derives revenue from the sale of recycled materials such as cardboard. Since implementation of its waste reduction program, including composting, Frost Valley has reduced the number of trips to the landfill to empty the dumpster from 16 to 10 per year. In addition, composting is continuously used as an educational program to thousands of visitors per year.