Princeton Gets Grant To Expand Food Scraps Collection Program

PRINCETON, NJ — The Municipality recently received a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to expand its food scrap collection program, officials said Thursday.

The $245,590 grant will go towards the food scraps recycling program, which is a vital step in Princeton’s commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship.

Princeton currently has two drop-off sites that serve around 223 residents. With increased funding, Princeton will add up to 10 additional food scrap drop-off sites over the next year, officials said.

In May 2023, Princeton gave Municipal staff the go-ahead to explore two collection sites for the proposed food waste program. Council then approved two pilot food scrap drop-off locations at 400 Witherspoon Street and Monument Hall And with additional sites being added, around 1,200 households will be served by the program.

“This grant is a major step forward for Princeton’s sustainability efforts,” Deanna Stockton, Deputy Administrator and Municipal Engineer said in a statement.

“Expanding our food scraps collection program helps divert significant amounts of waste from landfills, reinforcing our commitment to the environment and to fiscal responsibility.”

The goal of the initiative is to divert residential food waste from landfills, which would in turn reduce methane and carbon dioxide emissions, two potent greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change.

The food scraps are processed at Trenton Renewables, a local company utilizing anaerobic digestion technology to generate electricity and soil amendment from the food scraps.

Based on the amount of food scraps collected from the two existing sites, Princeton anticipates the expansion to 12 sites could result in diverting 63 tons of food scraps from the landfill each year.

This reduces Princeton’s emissions by approximately 14 MTCO2e per year, equivalent to growing 230 tree seedlings for 10 years, according to EPA’s Waste Reduction Model and GHG Equivalencies Calculator.

“The expansion of the food scraps collection program aligns perfectly with the Materials Management goals of Princeton’s Climate Action Plan,” said Christine Symington, Executive Director, Sustainable Princeton. “We are pleased to support this effort by providing project and technical assistance to the Municipality.”

For more information about the food waste recycling program, click here or contact engineering@princetonnj.gov.

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