Compost Site Operators Workshop in Ithaca, NY

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

The workshop divides 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 Cornell University’s Compost Facility.

This workshop targets participants from New York State, including operators of agricultural, municipal, and private composting operations that accept food scraps, as well as operators of small-scale/community composting sites such as community gardens and local parks. It also welcomes other interested parties considering starting a commercial composting operation for 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

Explore Cornell University’s Compost Facility:

Located just one mile from the iconic university, Cornell’s Compost Facility has processed organic waste on their 4-acre site since 1992. They collect various waste streams, including animal bedding and manure from research facilities, plant debris from greenhouses and farms, and food scraps from dining halls and eateries. The facility uses the turned windrow technique, where windrows measuring an average of 7 feet tall and spanning the length of a football field are turned weekly and mature over 6-9 months. Processing 4,000 tons of organic waste annually, this site produces high-quality compost used for field research, local agriculture, and landscaping. Water from two lagoons irrigates surrounding fields.

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 occur in Kerhonkson, NY on September 23, 2024, and Winthrop, NY on October 28, 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.