Councilors and Climate Smart Task Force members push to revive city food‑waste reduction pilot

Members of the Climate Smart Task Force and councilors on Feb. 6 urged city staff to revive a municipal food‑waste reduction policy adopted in recent years and move beyond the initial audit toward implementation.

Task‑force members said a food‑waste pilot involving municipal buildings reached the audit stage but never advanced to hiring a local hauler and establishing collection procedures. The task force reported it has partner resources available — including a local nonprofit that completed insurance and procurement steps to serve as a food‑waste hauler — and county and DEC grant links that could reduce startup costs.

Councilors and task‑force representatives asked staff to locate the pilot’s audit report and implementation memo so council can reconsider the plan at the March planning report meeting. Staff agreed to gather the files, and the council asked the task force to reassess priorities and capacity; members noted the program would require staff or partner capacity to scale beyond municipal buildings.

Why it matters: diverting food waste from landfill contributes to Climate Smart Community points and can reduce methane emissions; task‑force members described city‑level implementation as a pilot that could expand to residents and businesses if municipal operations demonstrate success and a reliable hauler is contracted.

Next steps: staff will locate past audit and pilot documentation and present findings at the next planning report meeting; the task force will evaluate volunteer capacity and options for partnering with county programs and SUNY Plattsburgh to pursue grant funds and a staged rollout.