Discover the vibrant world of Sustainable Saratoga’s committees, each dedicated to a unique aspect of community sustainability: Zero Waste, Urban Forestry, Land Use, Climate and Energy, and Pollinators. Whatever your passion, you’ll find a place to make a difference.
Let’s get to know the Zero Waste Committee
by Kelsey Trudell, Executive Director and Interim Chair of the Zero Waste Committee
The Zero Waste Committee organizes many of Sustainable Saratoga’s annual events including the well-known Saratoga Recycles Day and Paint Collection Day. The Committee focuses on finding creative solutions to the waste stream, with the goal of reducing, as much as possible, the amount of waste entering landfills. This goal is driven by our principle of the 5 R’s- reduce, reuse, recycle, repair, and rot.
Recycles Day
Recycles Day is an annual fall event that focuses on recycling, reuse, and redistribution of donated household items to community members in need. We partner with local nonprofits and businesses to collect unwanted household items such as electronic waste, small appliances, scrap metal, textiles, musical instruments, children’s books, bikes, eyeglasses, hearing aids, cell phones, backpacks, and camping equipment. The 2024 Saratoga Recycles Day will be on Saturday, October 19 at the SPAC overflow parking lot and is sponsored by Adirondack Trust Company.
Paint Collection Day
Paint Collection Day is a partnership between Sustainable Saratoga and GreenSheen, that began in 2022 after NYS became a Paint Steward State, committing to recycling paint in collaboration with manufacturers, retailers, and recyclers. GreenSheen transforms old paint into high-quality recycled paint that is then re-sold to be reused. The 2024 Paint Collection Day will be on Saturday, September 21 at the Saratoga Springs High School.
Composting workshops
Our Zero Waste Committee volunteers also lead regular backyard composting workshops that are free, public education opportunities for local residents to learn how to compost in their own backyards. The next workshop will be Saturday, September 14 at Pitney Meadows Community Farm.
Repair Café
Saratoga Springs Repair Café is co-hosted by Sustainable Saratoga and the Saratoga Springs Public Library. Repair Cafés are free community events with the goal of repairing broken objects to extend their life, keeping things out of landfills, and fostering an appreciation for the art of repairing things.
Team Up to Clean Up
We organize an annual volunteer Team Up to Clean Up to raise awareness about the impacts of litter pollution, specifically single-use plastic pollution. Since the first clean up in 2021 we have removed 302 bags of litter from local streets and parks.
Helping to Make Community Events Greener
In February 2024, our Zero Waste Committee launched a reuse initiative at ChowderFest. Thanks to the participation of Discover Saratoga, Hattie’s, and Caffe Lena, our volunteers were able to wash and distribute over 800 reusable bowls to customers at Hattie’s on Phila Street. This demonstrated an exciting sustainable solution to replace single-use disposable products ChowderFest that we are excited to expand upon in 2025.
If you’re interested in volunteering with our Zero Waste Committee or leading a specific project, email zerowaste@sustainablesaratoga.org for more information!
Read the latest Zero Waste blog posts
Artificial Turf — Sustainable Solution or Environmental Problem?
Chowderfest Gets Sustainable — One Cup at a Time
