Mandatory Curbside Composting Program Rolls Out Across NYC

Separating compost from trash is now mandatory.

Local Law 85 of 2023 required the Department of Sanitation (DSNY) to establish a mandatory curbside composting program for all residential properties in all Sanitation districts by Oct. 7, 2024. As of this month, residents of Manhattan, the Bronx, and Staten Island are beginning to separate their food waste into a separate bin from their trash and recycling as DSNY begins curbside organics collection. This stage marks the final expansion of the nation’s largest residential curbside organics program.

The program enters this stage after service already began in Queens and Brooklyn last year. Curbside composting is the collection service for leaf and yard waste, food scraps, and food-soiled paper. Just like traditional recycling of paper, cardboard, metal, glass, plastic, and beverage cartons, residents separate these items to be collected at the curb. These materials are collected every week and turned into nutrient-rich compost or renewable energy.

Passed as part of the City Council’s Zero Waste legislation in June 2023, the composting mandate advances the city’s goal of eliminating recyclables and organic waste from landfills and incinerators by 2030. Food scraps make up one-third of New York City’s waste and contribute 20 percent of the city’s greenhouse gas emissions. According to a recently released Mayor’s Management Report, the city collected nearly 130,000 tons of organic material in fiscal year 2024, which ended on June 30. This represents a more than 23 percent increase over the prior year, and included material collected from Brooklyn and Queens’ curbside collection program.

Owner Requirements

Owners of buildings with at least four units must designate a storage area or areas in the building that are reasonably accessible to residents for the pre-collection storage of yard and organic waste and provide a labeled bin to collect compost material. DSNY says that if a reasonably accessible storage space isn’t available in the building, and such space is available behind the building’s property line, such space behind the property line may be designated for the pre-collection storage of designated materials.

Owners are required to provide a sufficient number of containers in each storage area and the compost bins must have a secure lid and be a maximum size of 55 gallons. DSNY recommends that you line the compost bin with a plastic bag to help keep it clean.

Owners can request a free composting bin from DSNY at www.nyc.gov/assets/dsny/forms/curbside-composting. Additional compost bins are available for purchase at www.bins.nyc. And owners who use their own bins can order a free composting bin decal, which educates residents on what to compost. The orange composting bin decal can be ordered at https://sanitation.my.site.com/recyclingmaterialsrequest/.

How Curbside Composting Works

DSNY will collect compost every week on recycling day. Place the designated compost bin at the curb after 6 p.m. the day before. DSNY requests that compost bin bags be tied before they’re set out for collection.

The following items belong in compost bins:

Food scraps. If you eat it or cook with it, you can compost it. This category includes fruit, vegetables, meat, bones, prepared food, etc.

Food-soiled paper. Greasy pizza boxes, paper takeout containers, and used napkins belong in this category, along with plates, towels, coffee filters, and tea bags.

Leaf and yard waste. Grass clippings, plants, twigs, and leaves can all be recycled. If you’re collecting compost in a sealed bin, you can combine yard waste with food scraps and food-soiled paper. In other words, you can mix food waste with leaf and yard waste only when using a bin with a secure lid. You cannot place bags of food waste directly on the curb. And note that if you hire a commercial landscaper to maintain your property, that business must take away any generated yard waste. Landscapers are covered by the Commercial Organics Law.

Curbside Composting Penalties, Grace Period

The city will issue written warnings for non-participation, but fines won’t be assessed until April 1, 2025, to help owners and tenants adjust to the composting requirement. Here is the penalty structure:

• Buildings with one to eight units:

o   $25 for the first offense

o   $50 for the second offense

o   $100 for the third and subsequent offenses

• Buildings with nine or more units:

o   $100 for the first offense

o   $200 for the second offense

o   $300 for the third and subsequent offenses