To the Editor:

Several recent letters from fellow residents express frustration about the size of our trash bins, and detail some folks’ struggles to deal with their waste streams. I am writing to implore the town to accelerate the implementation of a convenient curbside compost program for residents.

The EPA estimates that more food reaches landfills than any other single material in our everyday trash, constituting 24 percent of municipal solid waste. I imagine this does not include all organic waste.

If the town helps the majority of Princeton residents effectively compost organic waste, the waste diversion would be enormous! Folks would likely find their trash cans of adequate size, and most importantly a great deal of waste would be diverted from our landfills and quickly turned into organic matter.

The town’s print publication “2024 Residential Waste Information” utilizes a third of a page detailing tips for residents to reduce their own waste, but it contains seemingly dated tips like sorting trash (but then what — put it all in the same bin?), stopping using disposable cutlery (sure, nice, ideal), compost at home (not an option for many!), and so on.

Currently, if you want to compost and do not have your own composter, there is one plan via the municipality: you could have applied for a lottery in October (with a 100 person cap in a town of 30,000-plus) to be able to transport and drop off your own organic waste. The town also did a very limited giveaway of composters — again these only work if you have the space and interest (and/or commitment to composting yourself).

This plan is not really a plan — I don’t know too many people who have the time, and mental energy (or space in their freezer), to freeze their food scraps and then drive them to a specified drop-off location across town.

It would be inspiring if Princeton flipped the frame and made it easier for residents to deal with our waste streams rather than harder to deal with our trash.

The good news is that it’s possible to do better. In 2024, nearly 15 million households in America have access to curbside composting, including other municipalities. Princeton should join them.
What is the plan and timeline for residential food waste composting? Inquiring, tax-paying minds would like to know.

Alisha Fowler
Cedar Lane