On Wednesday, May 10th, SOFSA celebrated International Compost Awareness Week by hosting a tour at Onondaga County Resource Recovery Agency (OCCRA), a large-scale compost facility in North Syracuse. A total of 26 attendees signed up for the event to learn about the ins and outs of commercial composting.
Maria Bianchetti, Recycling Specialist at OCRRA, was our tour guide, explaining the composting process from food scraps drop-off to finished compost. Maria walked the group through the site, exhibiting the large aerated bays where the compost lives for 60 days to process, the monitoring systems used to maintain proper temperatures, and the large sifters used to separate organic material that still needs to be broken down.
After a short Q&A, Maria handed out finished compost to the participants to take home and spread around their own gardens. Curious about future events like this? Check out the SOFSA Calendar to get involved!
