Rockland Solid Waste Authority accepting food donations at “Shred It” events

Next Medication Take Back Day is this Sunday

As you may have heard, on June 30 the Rockland County Solid Waste Authority received the green light from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) to submit a final grant application to assist Rockland County food pantries in recovering surplus perishables to feed food insecure families. The grant would allow for the purchase of much needed freezers, refrigerators, shelving and even refrigerated trucks. Rescued food helps feed families in need, while at the same time eases the burden on New York State’s limited waste disposal capacity. The battle against food waste in Rockland has officially begun

“To date the Authority’s involvement in the local community’s efforts to help food insecure families is off to a great start. Since the Authority was awarded the NYSDEC grant we have attended monthly meetings with local pantries to discuss incorporating education and outreach of the food rescue initiative with other Authority initiatives,” explained Anna Roppolo, Executive Director of the Authority. 

One example of this incorporation took place during September’s Hunger Action Month, a time when people all over America stand together with the nationwide network of food banks to fight hunger. In honor of Hunger Action Month the Authority collected food  for local food pantries at the Authority’s monthly Paper Shredding Event. Food collected at the Town of Haverstraw’s September event was sent to two local pantries. 

In an effort to bring action against hunger every month, the Authority will be accepting food donations for local food pantries at its Paper Shredding Events going forward. For the month of October there will be four Paper Shredding/Food Drive events, the first of which was on October 7 at Ramapo Town Hall.  All food donations from that event were donated to Puerto Rico for victims of Hurricane Maria.

The next event is scheduled for this Saturday, October 14 at Patriot Hills Lane in Stony Point from 8 a.m. – 12 noon. Residents are encouraged to bring a non-perishable food item for donation with them to the Paper Shredding Event. All non-perishable food items collected by Stony Point will be donated to the local North Rockland Food pantry. All Rockland County residents are invited to attend! The final two Paper Shredding/Food Drive events for October will be held Saturday, October 21 at Orangetown Town Hall and Saturday, October 29 at Germonds Park in Clarkstown.

One in seven people in Rockland County are food insecure. So, while you clear out your documents for shredding take a look in your pantry too! Each vehicle may shred up to three full boxes of documents. The shredding is completely secure and best of all free. All paper shredded will be recycled. 

The Authority is also continuing to provide residents with an alternative to properly dispose of prescription medications, which protects not only the environment but also your medicine cabinet. The next Medication Take Back Event is Sunday, October 15 at the Household Hazardous Waste Facility in Pomona from  8 a.m. – 1 p.m. As a reminder the facility is located at Firemen’s Memorial Drive. The medication take back service is anonymous and the medication does not need to be labeled to be accepted.

  NYSDEC, Rockland County Solid Waste Authority, rockland recylce