Xander is a lifelong composter. After years of volunteering with a university group called Student Labor Action Movement and meeting professional labor organizers, Xander learned that organizing for social justice in local neighborhoods can be a career. After graduating and moving to the New York City, GrowNYC was the first great non-profit job he found. He was introduced to the wonderful world of NYC Community Composting.

The Red Hook Compost Site, part of the NYC Compost Project, is located at the Columbia Street Farm and hosted by the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. With 1,900+ volunteers each year, the compost operation processes over 225 tons/year of organic material. Rather than being transported to distant landfills by gas-emitting garbage trucks, this material becomes a rich amendment to farm soil.

The year-round program has the only compost windrows in New York City created and maintained entirely by solar, wind, and human power. This means no gas-guzzling machines! The organic material used for the compost operation is derived from the farm itself (weeds, spoiled produce, spent crop material), and from several contributions made by community members and a rich spectrum of partners.

Two great videos about the Red Hook Compost Site: