KINGSTON – In just the first three weeks, the Kingston Organics program collected over one ton of food scraps. Kingston Organics Program Phase 1, a free and voluntary year-round food waste diversion program for all City of Kingston residents, officially launched on July 10.
A proactive approach to solid waste management, the Kingston Organics program currently has 601 public participants, and registration remains open at Engage Kingston. Once registered, participants are provided a welcome packet complete with instructional information, a map, lock code, and FAQ, and are then able to utilize one of the 11 food scrap drop-off locations across Kingston.
“We are thrilled to see the interest and enthusiasm for this program so far,” said Mayor Steven Noble. “We are already seeing the tangible results that municipal organics programs like this can produce. I encourage any Kingston residents who are interested in composting to sign up and join this program.”
One critical component of the public food scraps collection system is that the bins at the drop-off locations are locked. Registered participants receive the code for their location, and only those who have registered have access. Registration is free and accessible to all, in person, online, or over the phone. Locking the bins has been proven to be a crucial component to success for several reasons:
- Registration (keeping track of participation) enables the city to design and adapt the existing program and future phases for the appropriate capacity.
- Registration allows the program manager to communicate with participants, which wouldn’t be possible without a means of contact through registration.
- Locking the system prevents any passersby from dropping in contaminants and ensures that every single user has received an informational packet with acceptable items. This is the only way for the city to prevent contamination, which could jeopardize the program’s success.
- Locking the system…
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