Youth Group's Compost Project

Roughly 25% of the garbage in the U.S. is made up of yard trimmings and food scraps (info from EPA)! When food is disposed of in a landfill it rots and becomes a significant source of methane – a potent greenhouse gas with 21 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide. People are growing up in this world, and we need to take action NOW.

The Youth Group at the Unitarian Society of Northampton and Florence is installing a composting barrel in downtown Northampton on June 20th in order to help combat this. It will be located on the front lawn of the Unitarian Society, located between City Hall and Pulaski Park. It will be open for public use, and there will be educational signs surrounding it.

Things that we hope people will deposit in it include compostable cups, which are provided by many downtown businesses, food scraps, and other compostable containers or utensils. We hope to keep it free from trash and recyclable items, so please deposit these things in the nearby trash and recycling barrels. Spread the word to other locals, friends, and family, and be sure to use the bin as often as possible. We want to educate the community about composting and, hopefully, you will see more composting barrels in the future, as this is intended to be a pilot project. The compost will go to either a farm in Greenfield or a compost processor in Springfield. It is being brought to these places by USA Hauling, which is supporting the project by giving us one year of free service. USA Hauling says, “For us, sustainability is not just a buzzword. It has many meanings to us, all of which are deeply ingrained in every generation of our family business. We believe that treating our employees and customers like family leads to real, lasting relationships in our community”. It’s with their support that we are able to get this project started!

Composting is necessary if we want to fight Climate Change. Every year, each American throws out about 1,200 pounds of organic garbage that can be composted. Composting is one way to change it. We need action- and we need your help! Please support our mission to implement an even wider composting initiative in downtown Northampton by using this pilot barrel at 220 Main St! 

For more information, contact the Youth Group Director at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or (413) 584-1390.