What to Know
- New York City announced its largest composting initiative yet by debuting the first week of October for the 2.2 million residents who live in Queens.
- There is no need to register for weekly countywide pickup service, the city announced; collection dates will be announced in mid-September.
- Department of Sanitation crews will deliver compost bins to all Queens addresses of 10 or more units by October 3.
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NEW YORK — A new composting program is headed to Queens this fall, with weekly curbside service offered to all of its 2 million residents, the mayor announced Monday.
The “Largest Curbside Composting Program in the Nation” was announced by the City of New York and will begin in the borough of Queens on October 3. The program hits an area that produces significant amounts of leaves and yard waste in particular, as Queens is home to 41 percent of the New York City street trees.
“New York City has developed extreme new routing efficiencies for this program, allowing DSNY to serve Queens, the largest geographically of the five boroughs, at the lowest cost per county of any curbside composting program.” to date,” reads the city’s announcement.
DSNY said the weekly collection schedule will be posted on its website in mid-September. Compost collection will be offered through the end of the calendar year when the program goes on hiatus for the winter and returns in late March.
One of the best parts of the new show? No registration required.
All 2.2 million residents of Queens are guaranteed access to the program. The city’s Department of Sanitation said crews will be delivering containers to all addresses in the district with 10 or more units before the program debuts. And anyone with an old DSNY-issued or labeled container can leave it curbside.
The new program will include all leaf and yard waste, which residents already collect and dispose of separately from trash, as well as all food scraps and food-soiled paper products, such as napkins, paper towels and unlined plates. .
“We looked at what has worked in the past, as well as what hasn’t, and developed a smart, innovative solution that will be easier for the people of New York City, harder on the rats, and better for the planet.” said DSNY Commissioner Jessica Tisch.
The city hopes that by revamping its composting efforts, food waste kept in compost bins will attract fewer rats and other pests known to haunt sidewalks.
Queens won’t be the only county to get a compost boost. The mayor also announced plans Monday to place 250 “smart” composting bins throughout the city this fall. Each of the containers will be publicly accessible and can be opened with a smartphone app.
“Since the beginning of the year, we’ve provided funding to collect organics in all public schools, added 250 smart compost bins to our streets, launched a citywide bin pilot, and increased trash collection. And this is just the beginning,” said Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi.
How to take part
To participate in the program, residents must place food waste in a labeled container with a secure lid or bag to prevent pests and odors. Residents may use a DSNY-issued antique brown container or a self-labeled, lidded container. The Compost bin requests can be made online through October 1 here.
DSNY decals are available at nyc.gov/CompostingBinDecal.
Residents of the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) can contact [email protected] with questions about how to participate in this program.
What to compost on the sidewalk
- ALL LEAF AND YARD WASTE of any kind such as leaves, flowers, twigs, grass clippings and more.
- ALL FOOD WASTE AND PAPER WITH FOOD SOIL of any kind, from fruit and vegetable scraps to bones and skins, moldy cheese and just plain leftovers, napkins, paper towels or uncoated plates. Exclusions for certain foods that existed under previous composting programs no longer apply.
- BPI approved compostable items.
Do not put:
- Garbage including:
- diapers and hygiene products
- animal waste
- Wrapping and packaging
- foam products
- Recyclables including:
- Metal.
- Glass.
- Rigid plastic.
- Beverage cartons.
- Clean recyclable paper.
- Cardboard
READ HERE OUR ARTICLE WHAT DOES COMPOSTING MEAN AND HOW DOES OUR AREA MANAGE IT?
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