Today’s Sponsor:
Topics covered during this episode:
- Rockland Green’s new Food Scraps program
- Update on the new planned animal shelter facility
- Paper shredding events in the coming months
A text summary of the episode is available below. For more information on the programs specified, vist the Rockland Green website.
Town of Haverstraw Supervisor Howard Phillips and Rockland Green’s Executive Director Gerald Damiani dropped into the Rockland News studio for an interview today.
Some of the highlights of the interview: Rockland Green is continuing to expand its residential programs and is going into a new phase of development of the new animal shelter, to replace the current one at Firemen’s Memorial Drive in Pomona.
Here’s a closer look at three significant updates from today’s podcast:
Rockland Green launches new Food Scraps recycling program
Rockland Green’s Food Scraps program, now active in the Town of Haverstraw and Stony Point, builds upon an initial pilot initiative in Orangetown. Designed as a voluntary program, it aims to reduce landfill waste and promote the production of nutrient-rich compost. Participants receive a “Food Scrap Kit,” including a countertop container, compostable liners, and a larger transport bin. These kits enable residents to collect food waste like fruits, vegetables, dairy, and meat scraps, which are then dropped off at designated collection centers.
The program processes these scraps at the biosolids facility in Hillburn, blending them with treated wastewater sludge to create a compost product. Future goals include generating biogas from food scraps for energy production. According to Gerald Damiani, Executive Director of Rockland Green, food scraps constitute one of the heaviest components of municipal waste, making this initiative environmentally and economically significant.
For more informationon the Food Scraps program, residents can visit Rockland Green’s website or call 845-753-2200.
Progress on new animal shelter construction
Rockland Green’s new animal shelter is underway, set to be a state-of-the-art, 28,000-square-foot facility at 427 Beach Road in Haverstraw. O’Connor Company from North Carolina, with a local presence in Goshen, NY, has been awarded the contract for this $18 million project. The shelter aims for substantial completion by December 2025 and will comply with New York State’s legislation to further protect animals.
Designed by architectural specialists BDA Architects from New Mexico, the facility will cater to over 120 dogs, 224 cats, and 213 exotic animals. This modern shelter will replace the aging facility in Pomona, which faced significant challenges accommodating Rockland County’s growing animal welfare needs.
Phillips emphasized the collaborative effort in securing this project, while Damiani underscored its potential to provide compassionate and quality care to animals affected by neglect or abandonment. Initiatives like trap-neuter-release programs for feral cats and low-cost spay/neuter services further complement the shelter’s operations, addressing root causes of overpopulation. They noted that the shelter’s current neutering program has methematically prevented the birth of up to 199,000 feral cats.
Community paper shredding events
Rockland Green’s paper shredding events provide residents with an opportunity to safely dispose of sensitive documents while supporting sustainability. These events are designed not only reduce household clutter but also include a charitable component—accepting non-perishable food donations for local food banks.
Supervisor Phillips closed by noting dual benefit of these events: reducing paper waste and supporting local communities.
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Thanks for joining us on this week’s edition of the Rockland News Week in Review.