Whether they are high-rise residents in Midtown or homeowners in Staten Island, New Yorkers across the five boroughs are now required to separate their food scraps and yard waste from their trash.
Composting is crucial for fighting climate change, said Councilwoman Sandy Nurse, a sponsor of the Zero Waste Act, a legislative package that passed last year and includes the curbside bill. When food waste goes into landfills, it produces methane, “which is the worst of the greenhouse gang,” she said.
Domingo Morales, the founder of the grass-roots organization Compost Power, added that composting makes soil healthier, which improves food-growing capabilities and can also capture more carbon dioxide.
Here’s what New Yorkers should expect.
When does curbside composting start?
The program, which began in Brooklyn last fall and in Queens the year before, expanded to Manhattan, the Bronx and Staten Island on Oct 6. The city is giving New Yorkers about six months to grow accustomed to curbside before it officially becomes law in the spring of 2025.
Do I need a brown bin from the city?
No. Any bin, with a capacity of 55 gallons or less and a tight lid, will work. But if you want something official-looking (and free), you can order one (or even just a decal for your chosen receptacle) through the Department of Sanitation through Oct. 28 (or buy one here).
What will curbside composting accept?
Basically, all food, anything that grows in the dirt and a few other items. These can include fruits and vegetables, eggshells, coffee grounds, bread, pasta, cereal, rice, meat, bones, dairy, prepared foods, greasy uncoated paper plates, pizza boxes, leaves and yard waste.
“New Yorkers should not overthink this,” Councilwoman Nurse said. “Is this something I can eat? Or grow? Cool, it goes in the bin.”
Yard waste can be mixed in with food scraps (as long as all of it is placed in a receptacle with a tightfitting lid). But residents can also keep yard waste separate by placing it in a bag or in a different container.
What does not go in the compost bin?
Anything that should be recycled, like metal, glass, plastic, cartons, clean paper and cardboard, as well as other trash items like wrappers, pet waste, medical waste, diapers, foam or hygiene products.
How will pickup work?
Yard waste and food scraps will be picked up on recycling day. Check the recycling schedule here.
The Sanitation Department now has dual-bin trucks with two chambers that can pick up different materials at the same time. On one side might be recycling, on the other side, compost.
Pickup times, as well as the design and the number of the trucks, will depend on the density of a district.
For those in high-rises or larger buildings, each property’s management is expected to develop a plan for collecting and setting out compost for pickup.
Marat Olfir, the resident manager of a 35-floor building in Manhattan that has a large plaza with trees and flowers, said he plans to introduce new practices slowly, first separating yard waste from garbage, then moving on to food scraps as residents get used to the idea. There is not much space on each floor for food waste containers, he said, so he intends to set up a drop-off point on the ground floor of his building.
Eric Goldstein, senior attorney and New York City environment director of the Natural Resources Defense Council, emphasized that once the law goes into effect next spring, landlords will need to do more than put out containers for organics periodically or the day before recycling is picked up. The law stipulates that landlords must “designate a storage area or areas in the building that is reasonably accessible to building residents,” he said.
The six-month window before the law will be enforced has been built in by the Sanitation Department to encourage building managers and residents to become more educated about composting and to devise systems that work for them, Mr. Goldstein said.
“This is going to be a long process,” Councilwoman Nurse said. “Just like with anything that’s new, you have to constantly reinforce it.”
How do I store food scraps at home?
While some New Yorkers who can afford it are investing in high-end, high-tech composting products, like one that dehydrates food waste regularly so that it does not smell or seep through liners, most people will do just fine with any bucket, or a lidded, empty jumbo jar, Mr. Morales said.
An old mayonnaise and peanut butter jar will do, or even a zip-lock storage bag, which can last up to five months, Mr. Morales explained. Once you empty the zip-lock in the communal bin, he added, it’s easy to wash and reuse.
For lining a small bin or bucket, there are biodegradable bags (look for the ASTM D6400 specification), but they still take a while to break down. And they do not compost, Mr. Morales said. For transporting waste, he suggested using a brown paper bag, like one from Trader Joe’s. It can be tossed into the compost bin, and it’s carbon rich, he said.
Large bins emptied by sanitation workers can be lined with a garbage bag, which must be clear and can also be reused. But liners are not necessary, either. Basically, whoever controls putting the recycling and composting out for a building should make this decision.
What happens if I don’t participate?
At first, nothing really. The law won’t take effect until six months after the entire city has gotten curbside composting service. At this point, that means April.
Fines will be comparable to recycling fines and will depend on the size of the building. For one- to eight-unit buildings, fines will start at $25 for the first offense and will increase to a maximum of $100 per offense for the third offense and beyond. For buildings with nine or more units, first-time offenders will be charged $100, $200 for the second time and $300 for each time thereafter. Once the law is enacted, if sanitation workers are collecting the trash and they find food or yard waste mixed in with the garbage, they are supposed to call their supervisor, who will write a ticket.
What are those orange bins on the streets?
Those are smart compost bins, and there are about 400 of them across the city, available for anyone to use at any time. They accept the same items as curbside service.
They are called “smart bins” for a reason: You’ll need to download an app to use them. You can do that here.
What if my building does not offer a composting option?
“We’ve done extensive outreach to residents and property owners to make sure they know this program is mandatory,” said Robin Levine, a spokeswoman for the Sanitation Department. “That said, residents should speak to their building management and make it clear that composting is required, and that they must participate.”
Through November, the Sanitation Department will continue to host informational sessions online for property managers and other building leaders who have questions about the program. They can register here.
There are also drop-off options for residents of buildings that have yet to set up food waste disposal systems. They include the orange smart bins, as well as community drop-off composting sites, which are run by various nonprofits throughout the five boroughs. You can find the one closest to you here. Rules for what they accept tend to be more strict than curbside service or the orange smart bins. For example, most of them do not accept meat, bones and dairy.
What happens to the waste after it’s picked up?
Some of it goes to compost facilities in New Jersey or to a site in Staten Island, which recently expanded to take in more food waste. At the latter, the material is set into 10-foot-tall rows (called windrows), where it gets turned and aerated over time and broken down into finished compost. It is then either sold to landscapers or given away to residents and community groups.
New Yorkers interested in free compost can find a pickup point close to them here.
Some of the waste goes to anaerobic digesters, large sealed containers that store it while bacteria break it down. The largest hub for this process is in Newtown Creek in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, where “eggs” convert the waste into biogas (a renewable fuel) that can go into the grid to power homes.
The city is in the process of expanding facilities to meet increasing demand and to diversify processing so as not to overburden any one neighborhood, according to the Sanitation Department.
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