More Buffalo residents now have the chance to turn food waste into nutrient-rich compost, as the city expands its “scrap-it” curbside compost collection program to keep more food waste out of landfills. The weekly curbside pickup program has been piloted since 2023 for 2,000 single-family households across Buffalo, with 1.7 million pounds diverted from landfill in that time according to Terra Courtney, a worker owner at Farmer Pirates LLC which runs the program.
Now, more Buffalonians will have the chance to take part. “It’ll be expanding from 2,000 hopefully to about 10,000 residents within the next five years,” Courtney said. With 1,000 people on the waitlist, Courtney expects the first phase of the expansion to happen quickly.
Once signed up, participants receive a brown 12 gallon tote which they fill with food scraps before placing it out on the curb for pickup each week along with their regular garbage and recycling totes. Farmer Pirates LLC handles curbside collection and brings the food scraps back to their headquarters.