Second Chance Composting Offers Food, Organic Waste Disposal

John Pitroff, owner of Second Chance Composting, composts for his personal garden. He said this is like a smaller-scale of what he does at Second Chance's 14-acre facility in Vermont.

ADAMS, Mass. — Second Chance Composting hopes to offer everyone in the Northern Berkshires and Southern Vermont the chance to properly dispose of food and organic waste. 

Second Chance picks up food scraps and other organic matter and processes it into compost at its facility in Stamford, Vt. It provides service in Adams, Clarksburg, North Adams, Williamstown, Southern Vermont, and other parts of the Berkshires. 

"We collect manure from different places, we collect sawdust, we collect woodchips, we collect leaves, we collect yard debris," said John Pitroff, a North Adams native and owner of Second Chance Composting. "We work with landscape companies, tree companies, some farms; like we've taken manure from people. We're willing to work with anybody." 

Currently, Second Chance offers pickup bins to haul food scraps on a commercial scale for restaurants, schools, hotels, businesses and events. The organization also started a community composting program this year, which will work with local organizations in several communities to provide scrap drop-off locations for residents at a cost of $2.30 per week. 

In Adams, Second Chance has partnered with the Old Stone Mill, which works on several waste-reducing and upcycling initiatives. In Williamstown, Pitroff is working with Wild Soul River. 

"You come as much as you need to or as little as you need, you drop them off, and then you go about your day," he said. 

While Second Chance had previously offered residential pickup, Pitroff said the composting program should be more convenient, involve less travel and gas use, and allow more people to get involved. 

"We want to make it accessible financially and accessible as far as convenience, too," he said.  

In addition to the composting, Pitroff said the service wants to do more community outreach and events to teach people about the business and composting in general. Last year, Second Chance worked with the North Adams Farmers Market.

"We offered a free drop-off spot for people every week. That was kind of our first thing in the community to let people know," he said. "We're big on community. We're trying to connect."

Second Chance also hosted a pumpkin-smashing event in North Adams last Halloween, which he said went well.

"It was fun for us, it was fun for the kids, the adults had fun. We got something out of it in terms of material, it was a community event," he said. "That's what we're about." 

The town of Adams is hosting a ribbon cutting for the business at 3 p.m. on Monday as Pitroff and the business recently moved to Adams. Those interested in Second Chance Composting can learn more here.

Community Hero of the Month: Christine Hoyt

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
05:25PM / Saturday, May 04, 2024

Selectwoman Christine Hoyt, in green, came up with the idea of celebrating local business by having a ribbon cuttings with board members present. 

ADAMS, Mass. — Selectmen Chair and 1Berkshire Director of Member Services and Christine Hoyt has been nominated for the April Community Hero of the Month.

 

The Community Hero of the Month series, in partnership with Haddad Auto, recognizes individuals and organizations that have significantly impacted their community. Nominate a community hero here. 

 

Hoyt has been a valuable member of the Berkshire County community since moving to Adams in 2005 from central New York state. 

 

With no friends or family in the area, she became involved with her new community by working with numerous organizations and serving on multiple committees. 

 

She participated in the Berkshire Leadership Program through the then-Berkshire Chamber of Commerce. This started her on the path to working with nonprofit boards, so she started serving with Youth Center Inc. and then ran for election as a town meeting member. She has been on the Board of Selectmen since 2017 and is currently serving her second term as chair. 

 

"[Berkshire County is] a welcoming community. So, when I moved here, I didn't have any friends or family, and I still felt like I was able to connect with people. I was able to get involved in a number of different initiatives," Hoyt said.

 

"So, I've always felt like this community just opens their arms and welcomes everybody into it. I try to do my part to extend those arms and welcome people into the conversation and into various groups and committees."