3. require curbside compost collection
Require local waste hauling companies to collect compost as well as garbage and recycling.
From the San Francisco Department of the Environment:
“San Francisco has created the first large scale urban collection of food scraps for composting in the country. Today, hundreds of thousands of residents and over 3,000 restaurants and other businesses send over 400 tons of food scraps and other compostable material each day to Recology’s Jepson-Prairie composting facility, shown above. Food scraps, plant trimmings, soiled paper, and other compostables are turned into a nutrient-rich soil amendment, or compost, that is used to produce the organic food and wine that San Francisco is famous for serving.”
100 Ideas for New Paltz 
Composting is a great idea- I do it at my house. The problem with large scale composting is it stinks like hell for a mile or more around I suspect nobody wants the stench or rats around in their neighborhood. When the scraps are set out for pick up, won’t they also smell and attract rats? Get past these problems and you will have a good idea.
Thanks, Frank — I didn’t think about the odor. I wonder if there is a way to have covered compost lines, or a more efficient way of composting thana big pile in a field. I’ll look into it. For all I know, there may be industrial-sized enclosed compost containers.
Jason
Yes! I would love municipal composting!
There are compost containers that seal tight and that provide sufficient aeration to discourage stinky (anaerobic) decomposition… Ottawa’s got em. (http://agreenliving.org/tag/a-green-bin/). Also at the site one would create large windrows that contain substantial quantities of carbon rich materials (leaves, sawdust, etc.), no piles here. Once compost is cooking rodent population problems would be little to nil.
I think this is a great idea! I wonder if Cornell Cooperative would be willing to work with the municipality on this. I know that they are working with the local wineries and that the state wants to promote the Hudson Valley wine region for tourism purposes. Perhaps there is some grant money that would make the connection happen … Compost to the local wineries which would promote both cooperation with the HV wine industry and NYS green projects.