--- title: Enriching New Haven with Compost description: Pirie started composting by contributing our food waste to local programs to be used as a natural fertilizer in order to enrich New Haven’s environment. image: https://www.pirieassociates.com/hubfs/_BLOG/Blog-Images-800x450/compost-image-800x450.jpg --- [![Pirie Associates Architects in New Haven, CT](https://www.pirieassociates.com/hubfs/images/pirie-associates-architects-in-new-haven-ct-1.png)](https://www.pirieassociates.com) # Enriching New Haven with Compost **Date:** Nov 29, 2016 2:23:13 PM [![Share on Facebook](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/facebook-24x24.png)](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pirieassociates.com%2Fblog%2Fenriching-new-haven-connecticut-with-compost%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dfacebook) [![Share on LinkedIn](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/linkedin-24x24.png)](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pirieassociates.com%2Fblog%2Fenriching-new-haven-connecticut-with-compost%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dlinkedin) [![Share on Twitter](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/twitter-24x24.png)](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pirieassociates.com%2Fblog%2Fenriching-new-haven-connecticut-with-compost%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pirieassociates.com%2Fblog%2Fenriching-new-haven-connecticut-with-compost%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&source=tweetbutton&text=Enriching%20New%20Haven%20with%20Compost) [![Share on Pinterest](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/pinterest-24x24.png)](http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pirieassociates.com%2Fblog%2Fenriching-new-haven-connecticut-with-compost%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dpinterest&media=http%3A%2F%2Fcdn1.hubspot.com%2Fhub%2F158015%2F305390_10100548508246879_837195_59275782_6882128_n.jpg) [![Share on Email](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/email-24x24.png)](mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pirieassociates.com%2Fblog%2Fenriching-new-haven-connecticut-with-compost%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail%20&body=Check%20out%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pirieassociates.com%2Fblog%2Fenriching-new-haven-connecticut-with-compost%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail) We recently started composting at Pirie Associates, and we feel really great about it. Composting is an easy way to positively impact both our local community and environment. When I prepared soup this morning, it made me smile to know that I would be able to discard the rejected parts of vegetables into our office’s compost bin. In just one week’s time, it will be processed into life sustaining soil.  Some facts you may not know about composting: 1. When valuable biodegradable waste decomposes in landfills without exposure to oxygen, it produces methane, a potent greenhouse gas, producing 25 times the warming effect of Carbon Dioxide.¹ 2. The average person in the United States generates 4.3 pounds of waste per day, and approximately two-thirds of that household waste can be composted.² New Haven households alone produce ≈200 tons of food scraps per week and an estimated 31.5% of our incinerated trash is biodegradable.³ 3. Composting can save our taxpayer dollars because The City of New Haven pays $85 per ton of trash to be hauled and incinerated in Bridgeport and Hartford.   At Pirie, we enrich New Haven’s environment by contributing our food waste to [Peels & Wheels](https://peelsandwheelscompost.wordpress.com/), a non-profit program organized through [New Haven Farms](https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/overview-greenhouse-gases). Peels & Wheels volunteers collect biodegradables from New Haven residents and companies who do not have the means of composting themselves. Compostable materials are delivered to [Phoenix Press Farms](http://www.newhavenfarms.org/portfolio/phoenix-press-farm), where they are used as a natural fertilizer. Volunteers even use bicycles rather than cars to minimize their carbon footprint! **Join us by composting at your firm** If you care about the relationship between you and your planet, try giving back by joining us in composting! You’ll be glad to know that your biodegradable waste is actually contributing to the vibrancy of New Haven by limiting greenhouse gases and avoiding environmentally harmful fertilizers. You can register for your own compost bin [here](http://www.newhavenfarms.org/compost/registration); all you need to do is fill it up, and New Haven Farms will do the rest! *1. "Overview of Greenhouse Gases." EPA. Accessed November 21, 2016. [https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/overview-greenhouse-gases](https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/overview-greenhouse-gases).* *2. "Center for Sustainability & Commerce." How Much Do We Waste Daily? | Center for Sustainability & Commerce at the Nicholas Institute **for Environmental Policy Solutions. Accessed November 21, 2016. [https://center.sustainability.duke.edu/resources/green-facts-consumers/how-much-do-we-waste-daily.](https://center.sustainability.duke.edu/resources/green-facts-consumers/how-much-do-we-waste-daily)* *3. "Peels & Wheels Composting.” Accessed November 21, 2016. [https://peelsandwheelscompost.wordpress.com/about/](https://peelsandwheelscompost.wordpress.com/about/).* ## Related Materials ### Blog Post [![Health of Place Blog | pirie associates](https://www.pirieassociates.com/hs-fs/hubfs/portfolio/clarke/Project-coastal-residence-I-09-pin.jpg?width=300&height=150&name=Project-coastal-residence-I-09-pin.jpg)](https://www.pirieassociates.com/blog/health-of-place) [Health of Place](https://www.pirieassociates.com/blog/health-of-place) ### Project [![Junzi Project](https://www.pirieassociates.com/hs-fs/hubfs/social-suggested-images/Project-Fast-Casual-Branding-Concept_01-pin.jpg?width=1470&height=1103&name=Project-Fast-Casual-Branding-Concept_01-pin.jpg)](https://www.pirieassociates.com/fast-casual-branding-concept) [Junzi Kitchen Prototype for Fresh, Modern Chinese Restaurant](https://www.pirieassociates.com/fast-casual-branding-concept) ### Project [![Outdoor Lifestyle Retail Prototype II](https://www.pirieassociates.com/hs-fs/hubfs/portfolio/Denali-prototype-II/Denali-Outdoor-Lifestyle-PrototypeII-1.jpg?width=1470&height=1103&name=Denali-Outdoor-Lifestyle-PrototypeII-1.jpg)](https://www.pirieassociates.com/outdoor-lifestyle-retail-architecture-prototype-ii) [Outdoor Lifestyle Retail Prototype II](https://www.pirieassociates.com/outdoor-lifestyle-retail-architecture-prototype-ii) ### LEARN. INSPIRE. CREATE. ### Recent Posts ![author avatar](https://www.pirieassociates.com/hubfs/Marisa_-_Website_Photo.jpg) ### This post was written by [Marisa Page](https://www.pirieassociates.com/blog/author/marisa-page) Marisa Page, Associate AIA joined Pirie Associates as a recent graduate from Wentworth Institute of Technology and has been interning in the industry since she was a sophomore in high school. She has assisted with urban renewal projects and advocated for their long term benefits at the Congress of New Urbanism (CNU) Conference at Yale University. Her project background includes public works, commercial/retail, and residential projects. ## Learn. Inspire. Create. Subscribe to the Pirie Associates Architects blog. Copyright 2026 Pirie Associates Architects. All Rights Reserved. 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