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Garden Club pushes Morris Township to start food composting; committee says it's exploring options
Summary
A Garden Club of Morristown member urged the township to start a food composting program with at least two drop-off sites. Committee members said they support composting and are pursuing DEP guidance and potential pilot approaches but offered no final plan or vote.
A Garden Club of Morristown representative urged the Morris Township Committee on Wednesday to launch a municipal food-composting program, recommending the township begin with at least two public drop-off sites and work with the Department of Environmental Protection.
Sally Moscaralla, chair of the Garden Club of Morristown’s conservation committee and a Morris Township resident, told the committee that food waste in landfills produces methane and that composting delivers both environmental and economic benefits. "Food composting is critical to human health and the environment because food waste in our landfills generates methane," Moscaralla said, urging the township to begin a program and pointing to New Jersey municipalities that have already launched initiatives.
Moscaralla told the committee she shared economic study information with two township liaisons and recommended starting with at least two drop-off sites because Morris Township’s size makes curbside rollout more complex. She also said many municipalities in New Jersey — about 95, she said — already run food-compost programs, and she offered help from the Garden Club.
Committee members responded that they support composting in principle and are working with the township environmental commission and the Department of Environmental Protection to develop a viable, DEP-compliant approach. A committee member with long-standing personal experience in backyard composting told Moscaralla the township is "still working on" community collection options and emphasized the need for DEP compliance and proper heat treatment of compost to avoid pest and plant-disease transmission.
Environmental Commission chair Brian Morgan was cited by speakers as plugged into resources to help launch a program. Committee members said they would meet with DEP and continue exploring third-party drop-off services and pilot sites but did not authorize a program or set a timeline.
Moscaralla recommended the township start with drop-off sites and noted Garden Club members’ willingness to assist. The committee asked staff and commission liaisons to continue work with DEP and report back; no ordinance change or resolution was introduced at the meeting.
