Composting your organic waste is an effortless way to help make NYC’s already gorgeous gardens and parks even more beautiful, and the practice has been required in NYC since October 2024. Not everyone is complying, though, and there will now be consequences for those who don’t.
While one third of what New Yorkers throw away is food scraps and yard waste, data compiled by a Baruch College professor found that only 4.6% of the city’s household organic waste escaped ending up in a landfill between October and November 2024. That’s despite all five boroughs having a curbside composting program. A South Bronx community alone put out 1,375 tons of garbage in February 2025 and only about two tons of that was compost.
Now, officials are stepping in to make sure everyone follows NYC’s composting rules. As of April 1st, 2025, the NYC Sanitation Department has begun issuing fines to landlords and residents who don’t separate organic waste and food scraps from their regular trash. Here’s what you need to know:
NYC Composting Fines
Setout
Those that set their waste out incorrectly, at the wrong time, or on the wrong days, may be fined as follows:
- $50 for the first offense
- $100 for the second offense
- $200 for the third and subsequent offenses
Bins
Those that use compost bins that are broken, don’t have a secure lid, are larger than 55 gallons, or have waste spilling out of it may be fined as follows:
- $50 for the first offense
- $100 for the second offense
- $200 for the third and subsequent offenses
Separation
Those that don’t separate their recyclables and composting from trash, or don’t properly separate and set out recyclables correctly, may be fined as follows:
Buildings with 1 to 8 units
- $25 for the first offense
- $50 for the second offense
- $100 for the third and subsequent offenses
Buildings with 9 or more units
- $100 for the first offense
- $200 for the second offense
- $300 for the third and subsequent offenses
Composting rules will be enforced by inspectors who check garbage bags for illicit organic waste, and fine amounts may increase with each additional violation issued within a 12-month period.
To learn more about composting, including what it is and what you can and can’t compost, check out our definitive guide to composting in NYC.