JH SCRAPS is JHBG’s community composting program. Started in 2012 to turn neighborhood residents’ food scraps into rich, nutrient-dense compost, it feeds our 19 garden spots, local school gardens, and street trees. The program diverts organic waste from landfills, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and creates a closed-loop system where the community’s food waste nourishes the plants and flowers that beautify Jackson Heights.
How It Works
On Saturdays from 11 am to 1 pm, residents bring their food scraps – fruit and vegetable peels, coffee grounds, eggshells, and other compostable materials – to our site located on 69th Street near 35th Avenue. JH-SCRAPS Master Composters manage the site and work with volunteers to advance the composting process, aerating/turning, and monitoring the piles to produce high-quality compost. Once sifted, the finished compost is then used in our gardens and street tree beds, reducing the need for purchased soil amendments and keeping organic waste out of the city’s waste stream.
Much like the decomposition process, the work of composting necessarily involves broad and rich partnerships. JH-SCRAPS collaborates with other composting organizations like the Queens Botanical Garden and BIG Reuse for mutual support as well as for promoting composting and advocating for sustainable waste management. Other partners in advocacy and sustainability include the Queens Climate Project’s Compost Taskforce. See the helpful composting guide produced in collaboration with them: A How-To Guide on Successful Co-op Composting.
Additionally, we also work with gardeners to support their projects by helping them enhance their soils and boost biodiversity. The primary group we partner with is a youth group, The Veggie Nuggets. Come visit their garden, adjacent to our site, for a lesson in land reclamation, sustainability, and civic engagement! Follow these young activists on IG @wetheveggienuggets.
The Veggie Nuggets
The Veggie Nuggets is a community climate justice advocacy team in Queens, New York that consists of middle and high schoolers. They have painted a mural, planted a garden, stopped a power plant, and plan to do much more in the future with you! Their garden and mural are in Jackson Heights, on 35th Avenue and 69th Street, next to the compost site JH SCRAPS, where they also volunteer.
Environmental Impact
Food waste in landfills generates methane, a potent greenhouse gas. By composting locally, JH-SCRAPS helps reduce Jackson Heights’ carbon footprint while producing a valuable resource for our gardens. The program also serves as an educational tool, teaching residents about waste reduction, nutrient cycling, and the connection between healthy soil and a healthy environment.
Get Involved
Whether you want to drop off food scraps, help volunteer at our site, and/or learn more about backyard composting at home or at a co-op complex, JH-SCRAPS welcomes your participation. Contact us at info@jhbg.org for more info and volunteer opportunities.
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