MHS Students Launch Pilot Residential Food Scrap Pick-up MAMARONECK, NY, June 17, 2021 – Thanks to Mamaroneck High School students Ben Gurwitch, Arielle Herz, Cameron Lee, and Simon Worth, Larchmont residents on Summit, Roosevelt and a small section of Chatsworth Avenue have had their food scraps picked up for free every Saturday since May 15. The new curbside collection pilot is part of MHS’s Original Civic Research & Action (OCRA) program.
Students use a bicycle and trailer to collect food scraps from all participating residences and then transport the aggregate scraps to Maxwell Avenue Recycling Center via car. Plans are in place to expand the pilot program into neighboring streets throughout the Village. This program saves residents time, reduces congestion at Maxwell and lowers the aggregate air pollution emissions had each resident transported the food scraps independently. As of June, OCRA students have signed up more than one-third of residents in the designated area and have collected a total of 213.4 pounds of food scraps from new and current food scrap recyclers.
Through research, the students discovered that most residents would like to lower their environmental footprint. One simple way for Larchmont households to do so is to recycle their food scraps as part of the municipal food scrap recycling program. Recycling food scraps into compost captures nutrients that can enrich soil and decrease the energy wasted by incinerating food, which has a high moisture content and doesn't burn well. A major barrier for residents to recycle food scraps is the lack of curbside pickup; hence the focus of the OCRA civic action project.
Working with three community mentors from the Town of Mamaroneck Sustainability Collaborative and the Larchmont Environmental Committee, OCRA students helped translate the desire to participate in food scrap recycling into an easy app sign-up and service. “OCRA has allowed me to have an impact on the community in an innovative way,” said participating resident Cameron Lee.
With additional assistance from Instructional Technology Coach Mike Sammartano and generous financial support from the Mamaroneck Schools Foundation, students spent the past eight months selecting and testing the equipment and building an app to keep track of the amount of food scraps collected each week. Arielle Herz commented, “It has taken us a long time to get here, but watching the program grow as a result has been a great experience.”
“This civic action project is a wonderful example of how OCRA helps students solve enormous logistical challenges at the local level with the guidance and expertise of outstanding community mentors. Since OCRA is a four-year program, it provides students the time, skill development, and ongoing support and expertise to make significant and lasting change in their community," said MHS Social Studies Teacher and OCRA Founder/Director Joe Liberti. "Food scraps are not garbage, but valuable resources, and these students are helping repurpose these resources for a better environment for all.”
If you are interested in participating in the OCRA Food Scrap Pickup service as the program expands in the Village of Larchmont in the future, please sign up here or email us at volfoodscrapspickup@gmail.com We will keep you informed when our service expands to your neighborhood.
About OCRA
# # #
|