Closed Loop Partners, New York City, announced on Nov. 18 that it recently provided GrowNYC a grant that will fund operations of three compost collection sites in New York City. According to Closed Loop, the grant will help bridge gaps in funding left by recent city budget cuts caused by COVID-19.
The demand for composting services from New Yorkers has grown in recent years; however, COVID caused reductions in publicly funded organics collection services. Closed Loop Partners teamed up with GrowNYC to help reopen food scrap drop-off sites that will divert thousands of tons of food waste from landfills, creating compost for local communities in the process.
The three food scrap drop-off sites funded by Closed Loop Partners reopened in October, and are attracting over 1,000 regular weekly participants and collecting over 7,000 pounds of food scraps each week. Located at three GrowNYC farmers markets, these sites offer convenient composting opportunities to Manhattan residents. Together, these sites collected over 33,000 pounds of food scraps in just one month, with greenhouse gas emission reductions equivalent to conserving 1,435 gallons of gasoline, according to Closed Loop Partners.
As the holidays approach, typically bringing with them substantially higher rates of at-home cooking and associated food scraps, GrowNYC aims to secure additional funding that will allow it to resume operations across all 76 of its original food scrap drop-off sites, helping make composting accessible to all New Yorkers.
“By collecting food scraps from across the city and diverting them from landfills that are costly to taxpayers, we can realize remarkable economic and environmental benefits,” Ron Gonen, CEO of Closed Loop Partners, says. “As the city continues to build circularity into their systems, GrowNYC plays a critical role in recapturing valuable materials like food scraps, and we’re proud to partner with them.”
Founded in 1970, GrowNYC is one of the most established environmental organizations in New York City, engaging over three million New Yorkers every year in environmental programs. Supported by recently restored funding, the organization reopened 16 of its 76 food scrap drop-off sites across the city. All food scraps collected by GrowNYC are composted locally, in partnership with NYC Compost Project host sites and other community partners.
“We are immensely grateful to Closed Loop Partners for their generous support, allowing us to bring back more food scrap collection sites in NYC following COVID-related budget cuts earlier this year that brought our compost program to a standstill,” GrowNYC President and CEO Marcel Van Ooyen says. “At GrowNYC, we work to make living an environmentally conscious lifestyle in the city second nature––something that, particularly right now, would not be possible for many New Yorkers without help from partners like Closed Loop Partners.”
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