GENEVA, N.Y. — The City of Geneva is offering a free kitchen composting caddy. Pick up yours at the City Clerk’s Office, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The green-lid kitchen caddies can be used for food scrap drop-off at Doran Ave. The program is provided by the Ontario County Department of Sustainability and Solid Waste Management.

Benefits of diverting organics include collecting and processing organic materials that would otherwise be landfilled or incinerated into compost. By composting food scraps and yard waste, nutrients and carbon are returned to the soil to improve soil quality, support plant growth and build resilience in local economies and communities.

Composting your food waste is one of the easiest ways to have a positive environmental impact and has the potential to divert 30 percent or more of everyday trash. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that more food waste reaches landfills than any other single material in everyday trash.

Composting is easy. You can save money; if you pay by the bag, less waste means less cost. Composting also supports local jobs and economies.

It improves water and soil quality by filtering stormwater and reducing nutrient and sediment runoff, and it conserves water by helping soils retain moisture. Compost adds to soil health, creating stronger, healthier plants and reducing their susceptibility to disease and the need for pesticides.

Reducing organics at the landfill: Yard waste is banned from disposal at regional landfills. The best way to manage yard waste is to compost it at home, which saves space and reduces landfill emissions.

To learn more, visit OntarioCountyRecycles.org.

Provided by the Ontario County Department of Sustainability and Solid Waste Management.