Lakeside Farmers Market demonstrates its commitment to the environment

During the peak harvest season at Lakeside Farmers Market in Greenwood Lake, organizers continued their commitment to environmental stewardship on Saturday, Aug. 22, when representatives from the Orange County Department of Public Works and Cornell University Cooperative Extension distributed free Sure-Close food-scrap collection containers to market visitors.

Orange County DPW representative Ermin Siljkovic along with Master Gardeners Jim Hall and Kirsten McCormick, were on hand to explain the benefits of food-scrap collection and encourage residents to make composting part of their everyday routines.

The Sure-Close container offers several advantages over conventional countertop compost containers. Its innovative lid incorporates small ventilation holes and interior airflow channels that allow air to circulate through the container. As moisture evaporates through the lid, food scraps remain drier, helping reduce odors and the growth of odor-causing bacteria. The result is less odor, no wet lid and a lighter container that is easier to manage.

The value of composting

Composting has become an important part of the Lakeside Farmers Market’s Saturday experience. Visitors can bring their food scraps to the market and divert organic material from the waste stream rather than sending it to landfills. According to Orange County officials, food scraps account for nearly 20 percent of the county’s solid waste. When organic material decomposes in landfills, it contributes to greenhouse-gas emissions, including methane.

Food-scrap composting provides an alternative that benefits both the environment and local agriculture. Properly composted organic material can return valuable nutrients and organic matter to the soil, helping improve soil health, retain moisture and support more productive growing conditions. Local farms can use finished compost as a natural resource for regenerating and maintaining healthy soils.

‘The health of the soil’

The Lakeside Farmers Market’s composting initiative is part of a broader conversation taking place throughout Warwick and Orange County about creating more sustainable ways to manage food waste. Local officials have been examining successful composting programs in other communities as potential models for expanding local efforts.

For market visitors, the message is straightforward: food scraps do not have to be waste. By collecting them at home and bringing them to the Lakeside Farmers Market, residents can help keep organic material out of landfills while contributing to healthier local soils and a more sustainable community.

“Practicing regenerative farming practices that integrate composting from food scraps and yard waste ensures that the health of the soil will remain consistent from generation to generation,” said Goshen, N.Y., farmer Jeff Bialas (J&A Farm) remarked that “

The initiative also demonstrates how a farmers market can serve a purpose beyond connecting consumers with local food.

Each Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., the Lakeside Farmers Market provides an opportunity for residents to learn about agriculture, sustainability and practical ways they can make a positive difference in their own community.

To learn more about Grow Local Greenwood Lake signup or its upcoming fourth annual Farm-To-Table Dinner on Thursday, Sept. 10, from 6 to 9 p.m., that will feature a multi-course dinner from local farms and chefs, click on GrowLocalGreenwoodLake.org