Big Step Towards Curbside Pickup of Food Scraps in Village Mamaroneck

The Village of Mamaroneck Board of Trustees gave their unanimous approval on January 24, 2022 for food scraps to be classified as a recyclable item. This classification paves the way for curbside pickup of food scraps in the Village. The details as to how curbside pickup will work are to be determined next.

This major turn of events came on the heels of the closure of ASAP Scraps in December 2021 — the student-run curbside pickup of food scraps in the Village of Mamaroneck that started in May 2019. The termination of this much beloved service prompted an outpouring of letters to the Village’s elected officials imploring them to continue the curbside pickup route.

Growing up to 100 households on the route per week, ASAP Scraps estimated a total delivery of 52,000 gallons of food scraps to the recycling center during its lifetime. This is the equivalent of about 18 concrete mixer trucks full of food scraps.

Thanks to the collaborative effort of the Village of Mamaroneck’s Committee for the Environment, the Village Manager, and elected officials, the “Resolution Re: Authorizing Village Manager to Designate Food Scraps as Recyclable Item in the Village of Mamaroneck” was born. In this resolution that the Village Board resoundingly approved, it is highlighted that “removal of food scraps from the solid waste stream has both environmental and economic benefits as it allows for the separation and natural decomposition of organic food waste while also reducing the overall weight of municipal solid waste and associated tipping fees.” What a win-win for all residents of Village of Mamaroneck!