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Ulster County selects Big Reuse for reuse center kickoff; compost sales, hazardous-waste event announced
Summary
Ulster County Resource Recovery Agency Executive Director Mark Ryder said the agency selected Big Reuse (Brooklyn) to operate a proposed RePower reuse innovation center; no site has been finalized. Ryder also announced compost bag pre-orders for April 4 pickup, compost-bin and rain-barrel sales, and an expected household hazardous waste event registration around April 1.
Executive Director Mark Ryder told the Ulster County committee that the county’s Resource Recovery Agency has selected Big Reuse (a nonprofit operator based in Brooklyn) for the operator role on the RePower reuse innovation center. Ryder said kickoff meetings were underway but that the agency has not yet selected a site; several vacant properties in Kingston were considered but brokers or owners expressed reluctance to lease for reuse uses.
Ryder described interim and parallel programs: compost bag pre-orders are open for an April 4 pickup that will also feature the agency’s first e‑waste collection; compost bins and rain barrels are available for order on the agency website (Ryder said the compost is tested regularly and carries U.S. Composting Council approval for food‑garden use). He also said registration for a household hazardous waste event should go live around April 1 pending approvals.
Ryder noted the agency is selling compost and rain barrels at roughly cost and has outreach plans to increase public education on organics separation. Committee members suggested potential marketing angles (bear-resistant compost bins) and offered assistance with outreach.
Separately, the committee said a consultant engagement will restart the county’s Zero Waste Implementation Plan (ZWIP): a $10,000 consultant contract will compile prior work (circa 2019), recommend improvements, and deliver a draft for the committee’s June 3 meeting with a goal to complete the plan before July.
