About NYCORE

The New York Center for Organics Recycling and Education (NYCORE) is a program in the Soil and Crop Sciences Section, School of Integrative Plant Science at Cornell University that serves NYS stakeholders through research, outreach, training, and technical assistance related to organics residuals management.

History

NYCORE will continue and expand the work of the Cornell Waste Management Institute (CWMI), originally established in 1987. For nearly 40 years, CWMI identified and shared research-based knowledge to help stakeholders - from farmers to policymakers - make sound decisions on managing organic residuals. Through research, outreach and teaching activities, CWMI staff and affiliated researchers and educators worked to develop technical solutions to waste management problems and to address broader issues of waste generation and composition, waste reduction, risk management, environmental equity and public decision-making.

Our team

Deborah Aller

Senior Extension Associate and Executive Director - New York Center for Organics Recycling and Education (NYCORE)

School of Integrative Plant Science

Soil and Crop Sciences Section

Deborah Aller

da352 [at] cornell.edu

Soil health

Organics management and biochar

Agricultural stewardship

Jesse Kerns

Extension Associate, New York Center for Organics Recycling and Education (NYCORE)

School of Integrative Plant Science

Soil and Crop Sciences Section

Jesse Kerns

jek362 [at] cornell.edu

Sustainable Organics Management: Composting, Anaerobic Digestion, and Biochar

Soil Health: Physical, Chemical, and Biological Benefits of Amendments

Climate Change: Emissions Reduction and Carbon Sequestration

Jean Bonhotal

Senior Extension Associate

School of Integrative Plant Science

Soil and Crop Sciences Section

Graduate Student (Buckley Lab)

Soil and Crop Sciences Section

Jean Bonhotal

(607) 255-1187
jb29 [at] cornell.edu

Compost quality and use

Degradation of pharmaceuticals

Beneficial uses for organic residuals

Hannah Shayler

Extension Associate

School of Integrative Plant Science

Soil and Crop Sciences Section

Hannah Shayler

has34 [at] cornell.edu

Our expertise

Research

NYCORE conducts applied research on all aspects of organic residuals management.

We collaborate with experts from various fields to collaborate on the interdisciplinary problems around organics management.

Current research areas include compost, biochar, biosolids, farm wastes, and contaminants.

Outreach

We work with stakeholders who both produce and use organics to investigate and document best practices in sustainable organics management.

Outreach activities are based on research, with the goal of extending up to date, research-based information to a wide range of audiences from state agencies to youth.

We promote the expansion of organics residual recovery and recycling, market development, and beneficial application on farms through site visits and hands on technical assistance

We train organic residual generators and applicators to promote organics recycling and reuse through train-the-trainer events, webinars, tours, and other resources

Teaching

NYCORE leads short courses, workshops, webinars, and hands-on opportunities for solid waste professionals, local government officials, CCE personnel and the public. These programs are held throughout NYS at varies points during the year. Internships enable undergraduate and graduate students to participate in both research and outreach activities.

Funding

NYCORE is funded by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) with additional support for research and extension activities coming from public and private grants and contracts. The program operates with a small central staff but relies on close collaborations with faculty across Cornell University, educators throughout the Cornell Cooperative Extension network, and to researchers, educators and practitioners at many institutions to accomplish its objectives.

Partners & Collaborators

Cornell faculty and staff from across numerous departments and programs, Cornell Cooperative Extension educators, and stakeholders ranging from farmers to agency personnel. In addition, many other cooperators including NYS Energy Research and Development Authority; Empire State Development; the New York State Association for Reduction, Reuse and Recycling; US EPA; USDA; NYS Department of Transportation; various businesses; local governments in NYS; and non-governmental organizations are involved in NYCORE programs.

Contact Us

For further assistance or to be added to our mailing list, please email us at: nycore [at] cornell.edu (nycore[at]cornell[dot]edu)