There was lots of movement this year with new initiatives geared to help the environment across the North Fork and Riverhead. Here are some of the highlights.

Food-to-compost programs

Southold became the second municipality on Long Island to launch a food scraps-to-compost program. On Dec. 13, Southold town officials and several environmental partners held a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the town’s Transfer Station on Cox Lane in Cutchogue, inviting residents to stop throwing their food waste into the garbage and instead bring it to the bins where it will be transformed into “black gold” instead of being carted off the North Fork and added to a landfill.

“Today is all about partnership and collaboration,” said Mark Haubner of the North Fork Environmental Council. “Behind everyone here is another 10 people who were instrumental in making this happen. We hope this project will change people’s minds and have their food scraps become compost. If everyone in Southold participates, we could save $600 a day in carting costs diverting food from the waste stream.”

Riverhead’s food scrap program began with a three-month pilot several years ago. The town then reorganized to make it easier to catalog the food waste coming in and simpler for residents to register. The George Young Community Center in Jamesport was then added as a second drop-off point.

That program includes 80 participating residences, but Drew Dillingham, Riverhead’s superintendent of sanitation, said the town wants to expand it to all 16,000 Riverhead households. Residents interested in signing up can contact the engineering department at Town Hall.

Plastic straw? Movement says skip it

The “Skip the Stuff” movement — meaning forgoing the single-use plastic utensils and straws included in most takeout orders — took off this year at area restaurants, in the hopes litter and waste will be reduced if customers say no when picking up their food.

Championed by The Surfrider Foundation, an environmental nonprofit focused on keeping waterways clean, the group is lobbying the Suffolk County Legislature to adopt Introductory Resolution 1373, aka “Skip the Stuff.”

Creative cleanup at Meetinghouse Creek

For the first time, the Town of Riverhead is gearing up to use a unique and inexpensive approach to protect the wetlands and marshes in Meetinghouse Creek from further pollution. The plan is to dredge part of the wetlands in Jamesport, possibly this winter, to protect the creek from further environmental damage. The project covers 2.61 acres of wetlands, bordering Aquebogue Cemetery to the west and the Crescent Duck Farm downstream. The creek is on the NYDEC’s list of impaired water bodies because of its dissolved oxygen, nutrients and pathogen levels.

PEP pushes for healthier lawns, groundwater

The Peconic Estuary Partnership educated the community through multiple workshops this year that focused on responsible stewardship of natural lands, including residential lawns. At one of these, PEP encouraged planting native plants that are naturally found in this region and are more tolerant to local weather.

“So with these native plants, you don’t have to water every day. You don’t have to put down fertilizer. They’re naturally adapted for the climate, soil, rainfall and availability of pollinators. They require little to no maintenance,” said Valerie Virgona, PEP outreach and communications manager.

Polar Bears dive into eelgrass restoration

The North Fork Polar Bears partnered with Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Marine program for a “Back to the Bays” initiative to establish a new stewardship site for eelgrass, which supports water quality and habitat improvement in North Fork waters.

The groups co-hosted a Marine Meadows workshop, during which adult eelgrass shoots were brought to shore to be processed in biodegradable burlap planting units. These eelgrass “tortillas” will be planted at a new restoration site, providing essential habitat for finfish and shellfish and helping to improve water quality and resilience along local shorelines.

Original reporting by Times Review Staff