According to the state Department of Environmental Conservation, nearly 8 billion pounds of food goes to waste each year in New York state. Much of that food ends up in landfills, generating greenhouse gases.

It’s not common for counties in the state to have composting facilities, and Warren County is open to the idea of starting one.

One man’s trash is another woman’s treasure.

After Jean Lapper makes her morning breakfast, her food waste is far from garbage.

What You Need To Know

  • Warren County is creating an organics management plan to determine if the county should build a food and yard waste composting facility

  • Warren County produces around 25,000 pounds of food and yard waste each year

  • If the county builds an organics composting facility, it will be the only one in Warren, Washington or Saratoga counties, and any large food producers within 25 miles will be required to compost their food waste

“Generally speaking, in most households, food waste is about 30 to 35 percent of the waste that goes into the landfill," says Lapper, treasurer of the Adirondack Composting Education Council. She’s been composting for more than two decades, turning her food waste into rich soil for her garden.

“I’d like the environment to be here and to be sound and safe for my children and my grandchildren and for future generations," Lapper said.

Warren County is in the middle of creating an organics management plan to determine if the county should build a food and yard waste composting facility.

A new law was enacted in New York last year, requiring large food waste producers like hotels and grocery stores to compost their food waste if they are located within 25 miles of an organics recycling facility.

If Warren County decides to build one, it would be a huge win for environmental advocates.

“We currently don't have any food waste composting facilities in Warren County, Washington County, Saratoga County. You have to go all the way down to Albany County before you can find a facility. So if we were able to build one here in Warren County, it would require all of the large food waste producers to compost, and it would have a significant effect on the amount of solid waste in the region," Lapper said.

Warren County alone produces around 25,000 pounds of food and yard waste each year and Lapper knows every time she sees that beautiful soil, she’s part of the solution.

“We are always taking things out of the earth. And we need to be putting things back in," Lapper said.