Aurora board to consider joining Erie County two‑year composting pilot

The Aurora Town Board discussed at its June 16 work session signing a letter of intent to join an Erie County composting pilot that would make the town one of up to five participating municipalities. The board said the village would collect organics and the town would transport them, spreading labor costs between the municipal partners.

Under the pilot, Erie County would provide countertop collection bins at no charge and assign "soil stewards" to offer resident education and help the town create an organics management plan. Board members said the program is slated to run two years and that the county will track volumes collected to inform next steps for a local program.

Officials said participation may be limited initially by the number of countertop containers requested and by drop‑off logistics; one collection site currently is operated by the county in Alden, and the board discussed seeking locations closer to town to reduce travel time for volunteers and staff. The town plans to review the county policies-and-procedures packet and bring a letter of intent to the Monday town meeting for formal authorization.

Board members described the pilot as low-cost for taxpayers on the condition that municipalities handle transport and volunteer labor. The board did not take a final vote on June 16; members said they would finalize the town’s action at the next regular meeting after reviewing details such as participant limits, data‑collection options, and site locations.

The town also discussed whether the pilot could accept a broader set of organics than home composting — including meat, dairy and some compostable plastics that require commercial facilities — and how that could affect sorting and processing protocols. The board agreed to request additional implementation details from Erie County and to assess any potential costs or operational constraints before approving the letter of intent.