Mayor Kraham Announces New Community Composting Program

$215K Grant Supports Multi-Pronged Effort to Expand Composting in Binghamton

(BINGHAMTON, N.Y.)—Mayor Jared M. Kraham on Thursday announced details of a new Citywide composting initiative in partnership with VINES, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Broome County (CCE) and the Conrad and Virginia Klee Foundation.

Mayor Kraham said: "Binghamton continues to lead on sustainability and the environment. A citywide composting program was a key goal outlined in our Climate Action Plan, as part of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. By cutting back on how much waste goes to the landfill and enriching our soil to support local food production, we're advancing broader efforts to help the environment and build a cleaner, greener Binghamton. I appreciate the support of our funders and nonprofit partners."

Supported by $215,000 in grant funding, the program will expand composting in Binghamton in three ways.

First, VINES will create a community composting system at its Urban Farm in downtown Binghamton to process up to 1,000 pounds of food waste per week. The compost will be used on site to grow nearly 7,000 pounds of food annually.

Second, the program will upgrade existing composting systems at VINES' 15 community gardens to handle more waste. VINES will train volunteers and youth employees in the system, and allow residents to access food waste drop-off sites. The finished compost will enrich the soil at each community garden, enhancing productivity and sustainability.

And third, CCE will lead outreach and education efforts to encourage more residents to start composting in their own backyards.

The collaboration between the City of Binghamton, VINES and CCE aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by diverting organic waste from landfills, enhance local food production through improved soil and educate the community on composting and sustainable food systems.

Community composting was identified as a goal in the City's updated Climate Action Plan adopted in 2024.

Partners for Places awarded $115,000 in grant funds to launch the two-year pilot program. The grant is matched by a $100,000 contribution from the Conrad and Virginia Klee Foundation.

Partners for Places, a joint effort by The Funders Network (TFN) and the Urban Sustainability Directors Network (USDN), pairs local governments, philanthropy, and frontline community groups to support sustainability projects across the U.S. and Canada. To date, Partners for Places has awarded more than $12 million across North America in this successful matching grant program, leading to more than $25 million in investments.

Amelia LoDolce, Executive Director of VINES, said: "We're thrilled to receive this grant, which will help us launch a community composting program that empowers residents to reduce food waste and build healthier soils. Composting is a powerful way to turn waste into a resource, and this program is another step toward building a more sustainable and resilient local food system. We're excited to work with the community to make composting accessible, educational, and impactful for everyone."

Amanda McIntyre, Executive Director of the Conrad and Virginia Klee Foundation, said: "Whenever possible, the Klee Foundation seeks to leverage our resources to secure new investment in our community. We are grateful to Partners for Places for the generous lead support of this program, and we are proud to work with this powerhouse group of partners to improve our local environment."

Sean Cummings, Environment Program Director at CCE, said: "Cornell Cooperative Extension of Broome County looks forward to working with our community partners to provide education about the composting process to residents. Composting helps community members reduce their household cost of waste disposal, while building healthy soils and ultimately stronger communities."

Project planning will kick off this summer, and implementation will begin in the fall. Residents interested in being involved are encouraged to follow VINES on Facebook and Instagram @vinesgardens.