With our garden up and running, we’ve been getting a lot of questions about whether it’s possible to have any formal composting program at East River Coop (like the one that’s been operating right next door in Hillman for the past three years).
What do you think? Would you join a cooperative composting program if given the chance?
A pilot program was proposed about three years ago — based largely on the work of Hillman’s Sustainability Committee — and was turned down by the Board. I’m not sure of the details, but I heard then that there were simply concerns about attracting rodents.
There’s tons of good literature — supported by our neighbors at the Lower East Side Ecology Center — that compost attracts fewer rodent than does regular garbage. And since our Coop’s waste areas already attract rodents, it’s almost certainly true that compost could not possibly make the situation any worse.
Still, any responsible composting program would have to take pests into account. If implemented thoughtfully, composting would be a great addition to our community.