Iona U. Students Tackle Greenburgh Food Scrap Recycling and Small Business Social Media in New City Labs Project

A new collaboration between the Business Council of Westchester (BCW) and Iona University is deploying the innovative power of design thinking to address two community challenges in the Town of Greenburgh.

Iona business students will lead the latest City Labs project—a key component of the BCW’s Westchester Innovation Network (WIN). The students will focus on two distinct yet vital areas: boosting participation in the town’s food scrap recycling program and strengthening the social media presence of local businesses.

The initiative leverages the human-centered, problem-solving methodology of design thinking, which emphasizes understanding the needs and behaviors of the community before proposing solutions.

Aakash Sapru, assistant professor of design thinking and innovation at the Hynes Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation, said that the dual focus offers a blend of community service and business development.

The core challenge for the food scrap recycling program is not implementation, but participation. Greenburgh already has a program, potentially featuring curbside pickup, but it struggles with resident adoption. The Iona students will examine the behavioral and communication barriers preventing widespread success.

“It’s one thing for the government to encourage these initiatives. It’s another thing for the residents to change their behavior. And that’s the biggest issue,” said Sapru. 

Using design thinking, the students will move through a structured process, beginning with extensive research. They are currently conducting secondary research on successful food scrap recycling programs in other communities across New York and the US. They will then move on to primary research, including visiting Greenburgh and engaging directly with residents to understand their motivations, or lack thereof.

The design thinking framework will guide students from empathizing with residents to defining the true problem, ideating solutions, and testing prototypes with the community.

“I am very pleased that the town will be working with students from Iona. I’m committed to starting a food scrap curbside recycling program for all residents of unincorporated Greenburgh in 2026 and appreciate the help and involvement of students,” said Greenburgh Supervisor Paul Feiner. “A successful food scrap curbside program will reduce the amount of garbage that we have to collect.”

As part of their research, the Iona students met with a representative of Table2Ground, a WIN participant and food-waste recycling innovator that markets composting machines to local municipalities. Table2Ground’s technology transforms food waste into pre-compost material within 24 hours.

The second focus area addresses the need for local Greenburgh businesses to better use digital platforms. Students will study the current social media landscape of these businesses and provide actionable recommendations and strategies to help them effectively connect with customers and grow their presence online.

“The Business Council of Westchester established City Labs as a vital bridge between our academic community and local government,” said Marsha Gordon, President and CEO of the BCW. “This initiative allows our future workforce—talented Iona business students—to apply innovative concepts like design thinking to solve practical, real-world problems for our municipalities. It’s a win-win: local governments get actionable solutions, and students gain valuable career experience they can immediately apply to jobs right here in Westchester County.”

This City Labs project will run for six weeks, with the students planning to present their final recommendations to the Town of Greenburgh in early December.