Every Saturday at the TaSH Farmers’ Market (or the Winter Market), we like to have TEAC Volunteers at the stations where bins for recyclables, compostables and trash are collected. These “Waste Warriors”, sporting orange vests, help people put items in the right bin, and inform them about the benefits of source separation.
Recyclables and trash (everything that cannot be reused, recycled, or composted) might be self-explanatory. But TaSH vendors are now using compostable single-use packaging for ready-to-eat prepared food and beverages. Compostables include discarded food, paper (napkins, tissues, cardboard food containers) and compostable plastics.
Removing organic waste materials from the waste stream significantly reduces the volume and weight of the trash going to the landfill or waste-to-energy plant (incinerator), as we have in Westchester. Not only does the heavy wet food require excess energy to process, it can clog the system, making the whole operation less efficient. But more importantly, by separating the food scraps and compostables, the organic waste material can be converted into compost, to be put back into the Earth to nourish the soil.
Of course, market goers are often not thinking in these terms, so TEAC created a group of volunteer “Waste Warriors”: folks who are trying to help Tarrytown reduce waste. This activity is not only easy to do, but is a “feel-good” thing that benefits the environment and helps spread the know-how that makes it even easier as people learn where things go.
If you would like to be a Waste Warrior some Saturday, reach out to us at tarrytownenviro@gmail.com. We hope to schedule an orientation session in the near future.