Albany Composts!

Lessons from Albany: Reducing Waste Through Composting

When cities unite around sustainability, remarkable things happen. I’m excited to invite you to a special webinar that showcases exactly that kind of transformative collaboration…

During this webinar, we explored the remarkable composting initiative underway in Albany, New York. What makes this program noteworthy isn’t just the waste diverted, but the collaborative approach that brings together government, non-profits, and businesses in a unified effort.

Albany faces a pressing challenge – their landfill will reach capacity in approximately two years. Rather than merely seeking distant disposal options, the city has embraced composting as a strategic solution for handling one-third of its waste stream. The approach they’ve developed offers valuable lessons for communities nationwide.

At the heart of Albany’s success is a three-tiered system designed to meet residents where they are. For those with space and time, there’s the DIY program providing free backyard composting bins and supplies. For residents wanting convenience without the work, 24/7 drop-off locations operate at Tivoli Preserve and Radix Center. And for those seeking maximum convenience, subscription-based pickup services through Food Scraps 360 and Radix handle collection directly from homes and businesses.

What stands out about Albany’s approach is how they built upon existing community assets. Rather than creating a parallel municipal system that might compete with grassroots efforts, the city identified organizations already working in composting and asked a crucial question: “How can we help you expand?” This collaborative mindset has created a network where each partner contributes unique strengths.

The Friends of Tivoli Preserve, operating in north Albany, maintains composting bays that serve surrounding neighborhoods while also providing educational opportunities for high school interns. The Radix Center combines composting with their urban farm, using chickens and ducks to process food waste while providing ecological literacy programs. Food Scraps 360, a women-owned business, handles commercial and residential collection with dedicated trucks and professional routing software. The city coordinates it all while partnering with Bethlehem’s commercial composting facility for larger-scale processing.

This collaborative ecosystem demonstrates that effective waste management doesn’t require a one-size-fits-all approach. By supporting various models, Albany ensures accessibility for all residents regardless of housing type, income level, or personal commitment to composting.

The financial picture is equally compelling. The program launched with about $200,000 in grant funding from New York State’s Department of Environmental Conservation, with implementation costs around $136,000. The economics make sense: composting costs approximately $50 per ton compared to $200 per ton for landfill disposal. With an estimated 30,000 tons of organic material in Albany’s waste stream, expanded composting could save the city $4.5 million annually.

Currently, about 1,400 households participate across all programs, diverting roughly 174,000 pounds of food waste according to 2022 data. Food Scraps 360 alone has diverted 1.2 million pounds since June 2021. These numbers represent significant progress, but also highlight room for growth.

The operational insights from Albany are equally valuable. They’ve discovered that chickens help process food waste quickly, reducing concerns about rodents. Winter composting presents challenges with frozen material, requiring creative solutions. Bio-degradable bags remain somewhat controversial, with different facilities having varied policies. Education requirements, including videos and quizzes for participants, have proven essential for reducing contamination.

Looking forward, Albany has promising opportunities for expansion. They’re considering additional drop-off locations throughout the city, a “Compost Doctor” program to support backyard composters, improved data tracking to quantify cost savings, and integration of composting into official solid waste plans. Policy options like “pay-as-you-throw” could further incentivize waste reduction.

As Albany develops its next Solid Waste Management Plan, composting will undoubtedly play a central role. The opportunity exists for a “shared savings” model that would benefit both the city and processing partners. Meanwhile, New York State regulations are gradually requiring more businesses to compost through a phased approach reaching smaller generators by 2028.

What can other communities learn from Albany? First, leverage existing expertise rather than creating parallel systems. Second, embrace multi-sector collaboration where government, non-profits, and businesses each play different roles. Third, offer multiple service models to provide flexibility. Fourth, prioritize educational components to ensure program success and reduce contamination. Finally, recognize the multiple benefits of composting beyond waste diversion – including soil creation, community building, and ecological education.

The Albany model demonstrates that effective composting doesn’t require massive infrastructure or top-down management. Instead, success comes through collaborative approaches that build on existing community assets. By bringing together passionate advocates, innovative businesses, and supportive government, Albany has created a resilient network that delivers environmental benefits while strengthening community bonds.

This isn’t just waste management – it’s community building through environmental stewardship. And that’s a model worth replicating.

Rick Anthony, Neil Seldman and I want to express our sincere gratitude to the dedicated individuals who shared their expertise and passion with us today. Their collaborative spirit doesn’t just make for an informative presentation—it’s the very same spirit that has made Albany’s composting program so successful.

Thank you:

• To Sonny Von Tiedemann and Meghan Ruby from the City of Albany, whose leadership in developing this innovative three-tiered approach shows how government can empower rather than overshadow community initiatives.
• To Will Fredette from Friends of Tivoli Preserve, whose work transforming urban space into a natural learning environment reminds us that composting is about more than waste—it’s about reconnecting people with ecological cycles.
• To Francis Magai and Scott Kellogg at The Radix Center, whose integration of composting with urban farming, youth employment, and education demonstrates the powerful multiplier effects of thoughtful environmental programming.
• And to Diana Wright of FoodScraps360, whose entrepreneurial drive shows how environmental services can create sustainable business models while meeting critical community needs. Each of these partners brings unique strengths to the table, and together they’ve created something far greater than any could achieve alone.

Thanks to our attendees for your excellent questions and for your commitment to building more sustainable communities. We encourage you to learn more about their work by visiting their websites and perhaps even reaching out if you’re inspired to develop something similar in your own community. What’s happening in Albany isn’t just about composting—it’s about the power of collaborative problem-solving. And that’s a lesson we can all take home, regardless of the specific challenges our communities face.