The City of Buffalo wants to expand a pilot program for food waste collection to include various drop-off locations throughout the city during specific times.
“Food waste is the largest component of our remaining waste in our garbage totes right now. So this is just a way for us to allow our residents a way to reduce their waste stream” in the garbage totes, said Susan Attridge, the city’s director of refuse and recycling.
The estimated cost of the one-year contract will not exceed $4,000 and includes $10 per tote with two totes at five locations, which are to be determined.
Natural Upcycling will make 160 pickups this spring and summer and again in spring and summer 2020, Attridge said. The company will provide orange food waste collection totes and transport the filled totes to the city’s compost contractor, Buffalo River Compost on Katherine Street, she added.
“They’re the only ones that will actually do that,” Attridge said.
The city also will purchase food scrap containers through its recycling education fund for residents at no charge to keep at home to store vegetable waste.
Then, once a week, residents will empty the containers at one of the five drop-off locations, Attridge said.
Meats will not be collected.
“It’s not that meats are not compostable, but it’s just not effective for what we’re doing right now. So right now we’re just going to do vegetable matter because it’s easier for our residents to collect that. It doesn’t smell … It’s more manageable,” Attridge said.
Natural Upcycling uses special, watertight trucks that will not leak because “food waste is basically water,” said Harry Cohen, founder of Natural Upcycling.
The company also washes the totes after they are emptied on-site and takes “the wash water with us,” Cohen said.
The company provides the service for all Wegmans stores in Western and Central New York, as well as the University at Buffalo, Dash’s Markets and Canisius College, Cohen said. And it contracts with colleges, schools, restaurants and hospitals in Rochester, he added.
The Common Council likely will approve the contract Tuesday.
The city started the pilot program last year in partnership with the Massachusetts Avenue Project.