Compost Site Operators Workshop in Winthrop, NY

CET, with support from NYS DEC, is hosting a free compost site operators’ workshop in Winthrop, New York. 

Join us for an engaging and informative full-day event focused on best practices for composting food scraps. The workshop will be led by James McSweeney of Compost Technical Services and The 131° School of Composting. 

The workshop will be divided into two parts: a morning classroom session and an afternoon field session. Approved registrants will receive the address for the classroom location. The hands-on field session will take place at Whitten Family Farm. 

This workshop is geared toward the following participants from New York State: 

• Operators of agricultural, municipal, and private composting operations that accept food scraps. 
• Operators of small-scale/community composting sites that accept food scraps, such as community gardens, local parks, etc. 
• Other interested parties considering starting a commercial composting operation to compost food scraps. 

Training Agenda

• 7:45 – 8:15 am · Registration
• 8:15 – 8:35 am · Welcome & Intros
• 8:35 – 8:50 am · New York DEC overview
• 8:50 – 9:35 am · Unit 1: Intro to Composting
• 9:35 – 10:35 am · Unit 2: Recipe Development
• 10:35 – 10:50 am · Break
• 10:50 – 11:40 am · Unit 3: Pile Monitoring, Management, & Maturity
• 11:40 – 12:10 am · Lunch
• 12:10 – 12:55 am · Unit 4: Troubleshooting & Neighbor Relations
• 12:55 – 1:40 pm · Unit 5: Site Design & Management Principles
• 1:40 – 2:00 pm · Break: Drive to Compost Site
• 2:00 – 3:15 pm · Site Tour: Meet at Compost Facility
• 3:15 – 4:15 pm · Pile Monitoring & Management Exercise
• 4:15 – 4:30 pm · Q&A
• 4:30 – 4:45 pm · Evaluations

Click here to register for the workshop! 

Priority registration will be given to New York-based composters. Out-of-state registrants will be placed on a waitlist and notified if spots become available. 

For more information about the workshop, please see the WorkShop Agenda and our Frequently Asked Questions Sheet

Learn more about Whitten Family Farm:

Located in the “North Country” of upstate New York, Whitten Family Farm employs an aerated static pile compost system that utilizes food scraps, manure, and old feed to create high-quality cured compost. Scientific research at Whitten Family Farm optimizes the composting process, focusing on the ideal carbon-to-nitrogen ratio, aeration, microbial activity, and moisture levels to mitigate pathogens, weed seeds, and diseases from their finished compost. Known for its green energy initiatives, the farm utilizes biofilter-harnessing technology to harvest 70% of greenhouse gas emissions, using ammonia and carbon dioxide nutrients to grow vegetables onsite. Additionally, during the curing phase, cooling compost is used in worm beds heated by thermophilic compost bays to produce worm castings. Whitten Family Farm’s mission emphasizes producing high-quality compost sought after by home gardeners and farmers in their community.

This workshop is part of a series of three workshops CET is hosting in Fall 2024 under our Rethink Food Waste NY program. The other workshops will be held in Kerhonkson, NY on September 23rd, 2024 and Ithaca, NY on September 25th, 2024. We kindly request that you register for only one of the three workshops.

For more information, please contact CET at RethinkFoodWasteNY@cetonline.org or 866-306-0911.