New Paltz ReUse and Recycling Center is accepting "used" pumpkins for livestock feed. According to the owners of Briarcreek Farms, a local farm in New Paltz, animals LOVE pumpkins. Food for animals removes a significant amount of usable organic material from the waste stream and provides a valuable resource to local farm businesses. The ReUse Center is open Tues-Sat from 9-4:30pm and is located on Clearwater Road off Route 32 in New Paltz. This program runs through November 30th and is open to EVERYONE with pumpkins.
Our zero waste goals, in partnership with EPA, include the Food Recovery Hierarchy pyramid.
https://www.epa.gov/sustainable-man…/food-recovery-hierarchy The Town was invited to represent EPA Region II in 2011 as part of a zero waste initiative with twelve other municipalities nationally and developed a road map with input from the community. Interestingly enough, the New Paltz Zero Waste Action Plan has been implementing food recovery goals in reverse - from the bottom of the pyramid up.
- 2012 A commercial composting site was encouraged by students and faculty of SUNY New Paltz and a registered facility was opened in June.
- 2012 Free backyard composting and permaculture workshops for the public.
- 2014 An intern from SUNY New Paltz created a list of active farms that was provided to several local retail and wholesale food distributors. Products beyond the sell by dates are collected and used to feed livestock.
- 2016 A partnership was formed with the Food Insecurity Collaborative (Family of Woodstock, Ulstercorp and Rondout Valley Growers Association) to include New Paltz as part of a recovered food distribution system. A donated freezer is already full of healthy foods from a bumper crop of tomatoes (tomato basil sauce), eggplants (Ratatouille) and peppers. A Cool Bot system to keep produce cold until pantries can pick it up will be installed before the end of the year.
- 2017 New Paltz plans to implement a Master Organics Material Management program that focuses heavily on consumer modification.
For more information contact us at (845) 255-8456 or recycling@townofnewpaltz.org Website www.newpaltzreuse.org
