GrowNYC

There have been lots of changes recently at the market. For those of you who have not yet noticed, GrowNYC is now managing the compost. This is part of a 4-month pilot program to expand food scrap collections at seven Greenmarkets in Brooklyn and Manhattan. For more information check out their website: http://www.grownyc.org/compost.

And please, help spread the word! Tell your friends about GrowNYC's new drop-off sites!

New Hours!

Hi Everyone,

From March 5th to June 25th, GrowNYC will be managing the collection bin. Please note that they have expanded the drop-off times; you can now bring your kitchen scraps anytime between 8 am and 3 pm. No more noon rush!

See you at the market...

Help Incentive

Composting at the Fort Greene Farmer's Market is an all-volunteer, community supported project -- which means we need your help to keep this neighborhood service going! Volunteers are needed to mind the drop-off bins, take donations, and help turn the compost at our sites around Brooklyn. If you have never volunteered before, please consider taking a shift. This locally-grown project is the first of its kind, but needs its friends and neighbors to participate in order to keep running every Saturday.

Our pals at Habana Outpost, a local solar powered eatery, are offering folks another incentive to help out with the Fort Greene Compost Project. Those who take a spot on our Volunteer Schedule will not only keep the compost drop-off running as a neighborhood service, but they'll also receive a $10 Gift Certificate to Habana Outpost at 757 Fulton Street. Lunch is on them. Or dinner.

Take a look at our Volunteer Schedule.

Together We Compost

Volunteering Opportunities

Dear Neighbors,

Since we have initiated our donation based system this fall there has been great response and support. The fee for service is helping fund supplies, such as garbage bags, truck rentals and over all making Fort Greene Compost Project a more sustainable operation. We are glad for everyone involved.

As of the past few months, organic waste collected each week at the Fort Greene Greenmarket has been going to a number of places routinely. Red Hook's Added Value Farm receives a load each Saturday while every other week one of four participating community gardens takes a turn, turning the compost.

Prospect Heights (St. Marks Ave. and Vanderbilt Ave.)

Greene Acres (Franklin Ave. and Greene Ave.)

Brooklyn Bears (Carlton Ave. and Greene Ave.)

Woodbine (Woodbine St. and Central Ave.)

Some of the gardens originally involved in the project have dropped out due to capacity issues and desire to pursue other interests. Our existing recipients have had to cut down to once every other month and have asked that we find other destinations for the now 1500 pounds of collected weekly compost. A vacant site in the neighborhood? Fort Greene Park?

Recently, we have provided bins for farmers Ted King of Rexcroft Farm and Hector Tejada of Conuco Farm to truck a few bags back upstate. They are compensated with some of the donation funds and greatly appreciated for making room in their delicate food transport space. Processing it, too.

Keeping this system in motion requires people in the gardens with shovels and wheelbarrows. It needs folks to be at the donation jar for some of their morning. A few hours of a Saturday afternoon down in Red Hook with Charlie, one of the lead movers of this project, layering wood chips and having some watermelon; maybe apple cider now. Volunteering to learn more about composting is not only welcomed, but encouraged as a necessary part for our being up and running. Please, take a look at our Volunteer Schedule.

Also, for efficiency and well-being: if the organic matter is bigger than a hand, please cut it down into smaller pieces before composting. Stickers and rubber bands can make a nice collection on the refrigerator door or inside of a glass jar.

Salubrity,

Fort Greene Compost Project

Starting this Saturday, September 19, we will be asking for a $1 donation from everyone who drops off food scraps at the market. This money will be used to make this project 100% self-sustaining, especially as we look for a larger-scale way to manage 1300+ pounds of food scraps every week. Donations will be on the honor system, but please participate if you can. If you have a big household (3 people or more) or have been saving up, the suggested weekly donation will be $2 or more.

We also need your time and energy to keep this project going. Right now, volunteers are needed to help with outreach, transporting and turning compost, and organizing things behind the scenes. If you are interested in getting involved please reply to this email, or just sign up at the market on Saturday.

We can’t reach everyone at once, so please spread the word among your friends and neighbors who compost at the market! With your help, this "community-supported composting" project will keep going strong and be a true model for neighborhoods everywhere.

yours truly,

The Fort Greene Compost Project
Amanda, Carolina, Marisa, Jon, Kendall, Alice, Charlie, Ray Ray, Clara, Roy, Jenna, Trevor, Seth, Ned and more

Join our mailing list.

Join the mailing list to keep updated on composting at the Ft. Greene Farmers Market. Email fortgreene.compost@gmail.com with add as the subject.

FAQs

Composting in Fort Greene

Who is the guy with the ponytail I always see hauling away compost?

That's Charlie – Clinton Hill gardener, compost lover, superhuman. He is not paid to take the compost.

Is the compost program run by the Greenmarket?

Greenmarket is a friend and fan of the compost project, but it has always been run by neighborhood garderners and volunteers.

Where does the compost go?

The food scraps collected here each week are currently taken to community gardens in Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Prospect Heights, Bushwick and to Added Value Farm in Red Hook. We are always looking for more sites to process compost.

How does it get there?

Volunteers from the Fort Greene Compost Project deliver the goods by truck, van and tricycle. We are always looking for more methods of transportation.

Where'd you get that tricycle?
We bought it from Worksman (who gave us a great deal) with a grant from Citizens Committee for NYC. Alice and Clara salvaged an old bedframe rig it for our unique compost hauling needs.

How much is collected?

About 1500 pounds every Saturday.

Who runs the compost collection?

The Fort Greene Compost Project is an all-volunteer group made up of your friends and neighbors. We have operated this site year-round at the Ft. Greene Greenmarket since October 2005.

Does every Greenmarket have compost?

Fort Greene and Union Square are the only Greenmarkets in New York City that have a compost drop-off.

What are the hours?

8:30am - 12 noon, every Saturday.

How can I help?

Get involved! Volunteer some of a Saturday at the market or on site. Check out our Volunteer Schedule. Tell us your ideas. Share some resources. We are always looking for transportation. We need more sites to process compost at, too. Know of any gardens? Available lots? Backyards?

How can I contact you?

Email fortgreene.compost@gmail.com