League of Women Voters Hosts ‘Dirt on Composting’ Program

COOPERSTOWN—The League of Women Voters of the Cooperstown Area is launching the spring season with some “dirty work,” officials said in a press release issued earlier this week. On Monday, March 30 at 1 p.m., the league’s Natural Resources Committee, in conjunction with Connections at Clark Sports Center and the Cooperstown Food Pantry, will present “The Dirt on Composting.” The program will feature a presentation by Worms Waste Not of Oneonta, a compost pickup service founded in 2024 by Rachel Frick Cardelle.

In January 2022, New York passed the Food Donation and Food Scraps Recycling law, which required businesses and institutions that generate an annual average of two tons of wasted food per week or more to donate excess edible food and recycle all remaining food scraps if they are within 25 miles of an organics recycler (composting facility, anaerobic digester, etc.). In January 2027, the law will expand, lowering that annual average to one ton; by 2029 that average will drop to 0.5 tons.

According to the press release, Americans discard nearly 60 million tons of food annually, which amounts to almost 40 percent of the total U.S. food supply. Food waste is the single largest component taking up space inside U.S. landfills. Meanwhile, it is estimated that nearly 35 million people across America—including 10 million children—suffer from food insecurity. When laws such as New York’s go into effect, donations to local food pantries increase, thereby providing a two-fold solution to the environmental impact of food waste and the ongoing problem of food insecurity.

Households, of course, don’t generate anywhere near that much organic material. And many people who live in apartments or have close-by neighbors (both humans and bears!) can’t maintain compost facilities in their yards, LWVCA officials said. But people are interested in reducing waste. That’s where Worms Waste Not comes in.

Since 2024, Cardelle and her business partner, Meghan Cassidy, have diverted more than 30,000 pounds of food waste from local landfills through their company. The March 30 presentation will focus on different ways to reduce food waste—from carefully planning meals and buying groceries, to storing food to make it last longer, so it’s not going to waste, to diverting food scraps so they do not end up in the landfill. Participants will also learn about the different composting options that are available to them.

The program will be held at the Clark Sports Center Community Room, 124 County Highway 52, Cooperstown. It is open to the public; there is no charge to attend. Visit www.lwvcooperstownarea.org for further information.