One third of what New Yorkers throw away is food scraps and yard waste, but there’s a much better way to get rid of these scraps rather than just throwing it in the trash and leaving it to end up in a landfill.
One way residents can put their food and yard waste to good use is by composting it, and composting in NYC is getting easier than ever.
What is composting and how does it work?
Composting is the process of recycling organic matter into fertilizer than can be used to enrich soil and plants.
Essentially, composting speeds up the decomposition process by providing the waste with decomposing organisms, such as fungi and worms. What’s left is a soil-looking matter that’s rich in nutrients and can work wonders in a garden.
Composting is as easy as saving all your food and plant scraps in a container and dropping it off into a local compost bin.
It’s important to note what type of waste each bin accepts, however. For example, some bins accept items like food containers labeled as compostable while other bins do not.
Where can I find a place to compost near me?
There are multiple programs that place compost bins around various neighborhoods making composting in NYC easier than ever. Some of these programs include:
Smart Compost Bins, Astoria
Smart Compost is a residential drop-off composting program in Astoria with several bins around the neighborhood accessible 24/7.
The bins can be unlocked via the Smart Compost app you download on your phone.
Items that are accepted include meat, dairy, food leftovers, food-soiled paper like tea bags, coffee filters, napkins, and paper plates, and even dead flowers and houseplants. Learn more here.
đ Multiple Locations
â° 24 hours a day 7 days a week
Downtown Public Compost Pilot Program, Lower Manhattan
The Downtown Public Compost Pilot Program in Lower Manhattan has 10 bins that are accessible 24/7.
Download the app from the QR code on their website or by scanning the code on any of the bins, and use the app to unlock any of the bins in this program.
Items that are accepted include food waste including coffee grounds and tea bags, shells (seafood, nut, and egg), bones, spoiled and expired food, food soiled paper (napkins, towels, uncoated plates, bags, trays, boxes), and yard and plant waste including leaves, flowers and trimmings, small twigs, and grass clippings. Learn more here.
đ Multiple Locations
â° 24 hours a day 7 days a week
NYC Compost Project hosted by Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Brooklyn
The Brooklyn Botanic Garden operates compost bins that are available for you to drop your food scraps at, however be sure to check their schedule because they’re only open from April through November.
Items that are accepted include food scraps, coffee grounds and filters, paper tea bags, bread, eggshells and nutshells, food-soiled paper towels and napkins, shredded newspaper, sawdust and wood shavings from untreated wood, cut or dried flowers, and houseplants. Learn more here.
đ Red Hook Community Farm, 103 Otsego St.
â° April-November, Friday 9a.m. – 12p.m., Saturday 10:30a.m. â 1p.m
NYC Department of Sanitation, Multiple Boroughs
The NYC Department of Sanitation encourages composting in NYC, and they created an interactive map of locations where you can drop off your food scraps across all boroughs. Before heading over to a bin be sure to confirm that it’s open and accepting food scraps.
Most of these compost bins accept fruits, vegetables, eggshells, coffee, tea, nuts, dried flowers an houseplants, bread, grains, and pasta. Learn more here.
đ Multiple Locations
â° 24 hours a day 7 days a week
Curbside composting in NYC:
If you’d rather not have to drop off your compost there’s also something called curbside composting in NYC.
The curbside composting program will be extended through all five boroughs by 2024. Once it does so, you’ll be able to easily dispose of your scraps in composting cans outside your building. here.
Learn more about this service here.
How to get free compost in NYC:
The GrowNYC Compost Program has been striving towards making composting second-nature for all New Yorkers by collecting food scraps since 2011, but in the spring they give compost back!
GrowNYC says thanks to the thousands of New Yorkers who prevent their food scraps from ending up in landfills by giving out 1-pound bags of ready-to-use compost on a first-come, first-serve basis while supplies last.
This compost can be put into your backyard, garden, or indoor plantsâand you can even sprinkle it on some of your neighborhood trees! It’s recommended you mix this compost into the soil at a ratio of at least 3 parts soil to 1 part compost.
To learn more and find out when and where you can pick up your compost, visit their website.