Princeton Launches Much-Awaited Food Scraps Program

PRINCETON, NJ — In a bid to reduce carbon emissions, Princeton has launched the much-awaited Food Scraps Pilot Program.

Beginning Wednesday, Princeton residents can register for the program the the OpenGov portal. Registration is open through Oct. 20.

Out of the registrants, Princeton will randomly select 200 through a lottery system, with 100 being assigned to each location. The selected participants will be notified during the week of Oct. 23 and will receive an email with the site access code and the equipment instructions.

There will be two locations where residents can drop off food scarps under the program - at Monument Hall and at the Municipal Building.

Food scraps collected at these sites will be transported to Trenton Renewables, a food waste and renewable energy facility in Trenton.

At the Trenton facility, the scraps will be converted into energy and soil amendment, following the EPA’s Food Recovery Hierarchy.

The Food Scraps Program supports Princeton’s Climate Action Plan, which aims to lower the lifecycle emissions from the waste generated by the Princeton community.

In May, the Council gave Municipal staff the go-ahead to explore two collection sites for the proposed food waste program.

During a presentation, staff said the program is expected to cost the Municipality $5,000 in supplies, with an operating cost of $3,600 a month with a September start date.

Each of the scrap collection sites will house two 64-gallon waste carts within a locked shed. Twice a week, the carts will be removed and replaced with empty ones.

Have a correction or news tip? Email sarah.salvadore@patch.com