Mamaroneck Will Now Pick Up Food Scraps Right At The Front Door

MAMARONECK, NY — The Village of Mamaroneck is once again proving that it is at the forefront of innovation when it comes to involving the community in helping to protect the environment.

The village has announced a new program to bring weekly "Front Door Food Scraps Pickup" to Mamaroneck homes. This pilot initiative kicks off on March 9 and ends on June 1. Pre-registration is required to participate.

“Food scraps are one of the largest components of trash sent to landfills and incinerators," Mayor Tom Murphy said in a statement announcing the latest local environmental effort. "However, food scraps are not trash, they are a resource that can be turned into useful compost. Recycling food scraps into compost captures their nutrients and energy and returns them to the environment. I encourage my Village of Mamaroneck friends and neighbors who live in single-family dwellings to register for this program."

Residents who live in single-family homes and are interested in registering in the program must call the Village’s Department of Public Works (DPW) at 914-777-7745 by March 2 to be placed on the food scraps pickup list. Residents will be asked to provide their name, address, phone number and email address.

There is no additional cost to be enrolled in the program. However, organizers said that following the 13-week program, the Board of Trustees will conduct public meetings about the program, which may include an annual fee to offset fuel and labor costs. Currently, costs are estimated at $52.00 per year per household.

“Since 2018, the Village’s food scraps recycling program has collected over 150 tons of food scraps, diverting food scraps into a valuable product that gives back to our nutrient life cycle," Committee for the Environment Chair Ellen Silver said. "I want to thank my fellow members of the Village’s Committee for the Environment for their help in championing this program. With residents in single family homes now able to have their food scraps picked up through this program, we hope to see more and more residents recycling their food scraps."

To enroll in the Front Door Food Scraps Pickup program:

• Participants must be Village of Mamaroneck residents. This will be strictly enforced.
• While March 2 is the deadline to register for the full 13-week program, residents can register on a rolling basis. However, you must be on the pre-approved list for 7 days prior to your first pickup.
• Food scraps must be placed in compostable bags, which must then be placed in a closed container. The closed container can either be the large, lidded green “transportation” food scrap bucket (which can be purchased from the Department of Public works) or a similar container.
• Food scraps buckets must be placed outside by 7 a.m. before Wednesday morning pickup.
• Food scraps buckets must be placed on the front steps or the walkway homes, not at the curb.

Food Scrap kits, including compostable bags as well as the large, lidded green transportation food scraps bucket, can be purchased at the Village’s Department of Public Works at 313 Fayette Avenue. More information is available here.

Currently, apartments, condominiums and other multi-family dwellings are not part of the program. In the future, organizers hope to develop a plan for these multi-family dwellings. This program does not apply to residents whose garbage is collected by the Larchmont-Mamaroneck Joint Sanitation Commission.

The Village’s Recycling Center at 313 Fayette Avenue will be closed on Wednesdays during the pilot program.