New York City Residents Will Soon Have to Compost Their Food Scraps

For New Yorkers, the city’s war on trash is about to hit home.

On Thursday, the New York City Council approved a bill that will require New Yorkers to separate their food waste from regular trash, much as they already do with recyclable items.

The residential mandate will roll out borough by borough, starting with Brooklyn and Queens this October, followed by the Bronx and Staten Island in March 2024, and Manhattan that October.

The goal is to reduce the amount of organic waste the city sends to landfills, where it produces a particularly potent greenhouse gas called methane.

From a waste management standpoint, New York City is behind the curve. Starting in 2009, San Francisco and Seattle began mandating composting. California has a statewide composting mandate. Barcelona’s trash containerization techniques have become the envy of New York City urbanists. This legislation aims to bring New York City’s waste management practices into the modern era, and to embed them into law. Like recycling, the separation of food waste will be enforceable with fines. You can read more here.

As always, we will keep you informed on all “trashy”topics in NYC. Our team is here to help!