Stella Piasecki is excited about the new curbside composting program coming to Barrington — very excited. But the official from the Eastern Rhode Island Conservation District, which partnered with the town to offer the program, has an even larger mission in mind.

“Our goal is to get as many Rhode Islanders composting as possible, in whatever form works for them,” Piasecki said. “Our goal is to divert as much food waste from the landfill as possible.”

Piasecki said the Eastern Rhode Island Conservation District is excited to be working with Barrington to bring Black Earth Compost to local residents. Earlier this year the Barrington Town Council approved funding to help subsidize the curbside composting program. The first 500 residents who sign up for the curbside composting program receive a major discount — the normal price of $199 is dropped to $66 for the first year. 

Piasecki said 191 Barrington residents had signed up for the service, as of late August. 

“The first 500 residents get the best perks,” said Piasecki, referring to the reduced cost. “They also get a free starter kit — a bin, compostable bags. And then everyone who signs up for any program gets finished compost back for their garden in the spring.”

All residents who enroll will receive a bag of compost in the spring.

Piasecki encouraged people to get involved, but added that the curbside program was not the only way residents can compost. She said some people may have their own compost bins — converting food scraps into garden-ready material — in their backyards. Piasecki also directed residents to consider bringing their food scraps to Barrington Farm School. 

Residents can bring food scraps to the farm (located near the intersection of Middle Highway and Federal Road), or to one of the remote drop-off sites (near the tennis courts on Kent Street or at the senior center parking lot). Piasecki said Barrington Farm School has some different restrictions on what type of food scraps people can drop off for composting. 

“They take a lot less materials. They have a really pure product. Currently their site is pretty small,” Piasecki said. 

Barrington Farm School is also partnering with the Eastern Rhode Island Conservation District to upgrade its current composting facility.

“Through the grant, they will get aerated static pile systems,” Piasecki said. “There are systems you can get that will help the process move faster.”

The aerated static pile systems use fans or blowers to move air through the bottom of the compost piles, Piasecki said, reducing the amount of times workers need to manually turn over the compost piles. 

“With these new systems, they will be able to accept more (material),” she said. 

Piasecki said that while Barrington Farm School is a bit more restrictive with the food scraps it will take, Black Earth Compost accepts a lot more. 

“Black Earth is great because they take everything,” she said. 

Second effort

Initiating a curbside compost program took a couple of tries in Barrington. In July 2024, the Barrington Town Council voted to apply for a US Department of Agriculture grant for the curbside composting program, but the effort fell short. 

The current program involves a grant from 11th Hour Racing, an environmental organization and professional offshore sailing team. The town secured a $13,000 commitment from 11th Hour Racing. The grant required a match from the town — Barrington tapped into $7,000 from the Climate Mitigation Capital Reserve account and $6,000 from the Council Contingency account. The pilot program will run for at least two years. 

The program in Barrington will kick off on Sept. 18. Residents can sign up at www.blackearthcompost.com/barrington