EcoWatch
Facebook 573k Twitter 238k Instagram 37k Subscribe Subscribe
  • Climate
  • Energy
  • Policy
  • Renewables
  • Culture
  • Science
  • Go Solar Today
      • Top Companies By State
        • California Solar Companies
        • Texas Solar Companies
        • New York Solar Companies
        • Florida Solar Companies
        • See All States
      • Top Incentives By State
        • California Solar Incentives
        • Texas Solar Incentives
        • New York Solar Incentives
        • Florida Solar Incentives
        • See All States
      • Solar Panel Costs By State
        • Solar Panel Costs in California
        • Solar Panel Costs in Texas
        • Solar Panel Costs in New York
        • Solar Panel Costs in Florida
        • See All States
      • Value of Solar by State
        • Is Solar Worth It In California?
        • Is Solar Worth It in Texas?
        • Is Solar Worth It New York?
        • Is Solar Worth It In Florida?
        • See All States
      • Company Reviews
        • Tesla Solar Review
        • Sunrun Solar Review
        • SunPower Solar Review
        • Vivint Solar Review
        • See All Companies
      • Common Solar Questions
        • Can You Get Free Solar Panels?
        • Does Solar Increase Home Value?
        • What’re The Best Solar Batteries?
        • Can You Finance Solar?
        • Where To Buy Solar Panels?
        • Payback On Solar Panels?
      • Solar Resources
        • Interactive Solar Calculator
        • Federal Solar Tax Credit 2023
        • Best Solar Panels For Most Homes
        • Tesla Solar Roof Review
        • Cheapest Solar Panels
      • Companies Compared
        • SunPower vs Tesla Solar
        • SunRun vs Tesla Solar
        • SunRun vs SunPower
        • SunPower vs Momentum Solar
        • SunPower vs ADT Solar
EcoWatch
  • Climate
  • Energy
  • Policy
  • Renewables
  • Culture
  • Science
  • Go Solar Today
    • Go Solar Today
    • Top Companies By State
      • California Solar Companies
      • Texas Solar Companies
      • New York Solar Companies
      • Florida Solar Companies
      • See All States
    • Top Incentives By State
      • California Solar Incentives
      • Texas Solar Incentives
      • New York Solar Incentives
      • Florida Solar Incentives
      • See All States
    • Solar Panel Costs By State
      • Solar Panel Costs in California
      • Solar Panel Costs in Texas
      • Solar Panel Costs in New York
      • Solar Panel Costs in Florida
      • See All States
    • Value of Solar by State
      • Is Solar Worth It In California?
      • Is Solar Worth It in Texas?
      • Is Solar Worth It New York?
      • Is Solar Worth It In Florida?
      • See All States
    • Company Reviews
      • Tesla Solar Review
      • Sunrun Solar Review
      • SunPower Solar Review
      • Vivint Solar Review
      • See All Companies
    • Common Solar Questions
      • Can You Get Free Solar Panels?
      • Does Solar Increase Home Value?
      • What’re The Best Solar Batteries?
      • Can You Finance Solar?
      • Where To Buy Solar Panels?
      • Payback On Solar Panels?
    • Solar Resources
      • Interactive Solar Calculator
      • Federal Solar Tax Credit 2023
      • Best Solar Panels For Most Homes
      • Tesla Solar Roof Review
      • Cheapest Solar Panels
    • Companies Compared
      • SunPower vs Tesla Solar
      • SunRun vs Tesla Solar
      • SunRun vs SunPower
      • SunPower vs Momentum Solar
      • SunPower vs ADT Solar

The best of EcoWatch right in your inbox. Sign up for our email newsletter!

    • About EcoWatch
    • Contact EcoWatch
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Learn About Solar Energy
    Facebook 573k Twitter 238k Instagram 37k
    EcoWatch
    • About EcoWatch
    • Contact EcoWatch
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Learn About Solar Energy
    Facebook 573k Twitter 238k Instagram 37k
    Home Food and Agriculture

    New York City Begins First Borough-Wide Curbside Composting Program in Queens

    By: Paige Bennett
    Updated: October 12, 2022
    Edited by Irma Omerhodzic
    Facebook icon Twitter icon Pinterest icon Email icon
    New Department of Sanitation food scraps and yard waste collection bins on sidewalks outside businesses, Queens, New York
    New Department of Sanitation food scraps and yard waste collection bins on sidewalks outside businesses, Queens, New York. Lindsey Nicholson / UCG /Universal Images Group via Getty Images
    Why you can trust us

    Founded in 2005 as an Ohio-based environmental newspaper, EcoWatch is a digital platform dedicated to publishing quality, science-based content on environmental issues, causes, and solutions.

    Facebook icon Twitter icon Pinterest icon Email icon

    The Queens borough of New York City is starting a new curbside compost program for its 2.2 million residents, who will not have to sign-up to be involved. The Department of Sanitation program launched on October 3, 2022, and according to the city, it will be the biggest compost program in the U.S.

    Compost is collected all across Queens every week, and residents can compost leaf yard waste, food scraps, and food-soiled paper in either provided compost bins or bins adorned with free compost decals provided by the city. Buildings with 10 or more units received bins for free, and smaller residences could request free compost bins by October 1. 

    In New York City, there is about three pounds of trash put out each day for every resident, according to Sanitation Commissioner Jessica Tisch. Of the 24 million pounds of rubbish, 8 million pounds are compostable.

    “Today, that organic material goes in the black trash bags, where it’s commingled with all the other household trash, and it sits on the curbs, serving, as we said before, an all-you-can-eat buffet for rats,” Tisch said, as reported by Spectrum News NY1. “Adding more insult to injury, it then gets landfilled, where the material decomposes and produces harmful methane gas for years to come.” 

    While this is not the first large composting program in Queens or New York City, officials are hoping to make it easier and more accessible by removing sign-ups and allowing residents to use their own bins with lids or free, provided bins. Composting programs were also halted at the start of the pandemic, and Mayor Eric Adams hopes the Queens composting program will be more effective than before.

    Queens Botanical Garden, recycling and Compost collection in parking lot by NYC Compost Project, Queens, New York. Lindsey Nicholson / UCG / Universal Images Group via Getty Images

    “When we suspended the composting program [in 2020], I said that we’re going to bring it back, but we’re going to bring it in a more equitable and a more cost-efficient way. This is keeping the promise that we stated,” Adams said in a statement. “This is a no-frill way of just getting it done. Without the bureaucracy and the difficulties of signing up for a program.”

    The program will run from early October through December, then will pause for three months due to a lower amount of yard waste, which Tisch and Adams say make up the most of compost materials collected. The program will start up again in March. 

    The city also plans to install more “Smart Compost” bins in Manhattan, the Bronx, central Brooklyn and Staten Island.

    New York City joins other major cities, like San Francisco and Portland, Oregon, in implementing larger composting initiatives. In 2022, the state of California also began requiring all jurisdictions to provide organic waste collection, following Vermont to become the second state to mandate composting.

    Subscribe to get exclusive updates in our daily newsletter!

      By signing up, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy & to receive electronic communications from EcoWatch Media Group, which may include marketing promotions, advertisements and sponsored content.

      Paige Bennett

      Based in Los Angeles, Paige is a writer who is passionate about sustainability. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Ohio University and holds a certificate in Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies. She also specialized in sustainable agriculture while pursuing her undergraduate degree.
      Facebook icon Twitter icon Pinterest icon Email icon

      Read More

      Global Freshwater Demand Will Exceed Supply 40% by 2030, Experts Warn
      Samuel Taylor Coleridge first published the poem “The Rime of
      By Cristen Hemingway Jaynes
      Train Derails, Leaks an Estimated 5,000 Gallons of Fuel on Reservation in Washington
      Another train has derailed, this time on the Swinomish Reservation
      By Paige Bennett
      Two Aging UK Coal Plants to Shutter in March Despite Government Requests to Remain on Standby
      Two aging UK coal plants will close at the end
      By Olivia Rosane

      Subscribe to get exclusive updates in our daily newsletter!

        By signing up, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy & to receive electronic communications from EcoWatch Media Group, which may include marketing promotions, advertisements and sponsored content.

        Latest Articles

        • Texas Education Officials Weaken Climate Science in Textbooks
          by Climate Nexus
          March 20, 2023
        • Arctic Sea Ice Maximum Extent Is Fifth Lowest on Record
          by Olivia Rosane
          March 17, 2023
        • Global Freshwater Demand Will Exceed Supply 40% by 2030, Experts Warn
          by Cristen Hemingway Jaynes
          March 17, 2023
        • Train Derails, Leaks an Estimated 5,000 Gallons of Fuel on Reservation in Washington
          by Paige Bennett
          March 17, 2023
        • Forest Recovery Can Offset Some Tropical Deforestation Emissions, But Not All
          by Olivia Rosane
          March 17, 2023
        • Two Aging UK Coal Plants to Shutter in March Despite Government Requests to Remain on Standby
          by Olivia Rosane
          March 17, 2023
        • Meet Europe’s Latest National Park, A Wild River in the Heart of Albania
          by Olivia Rosane
          March 17, 2023
        • Volkswagen Announces Plans for a More Affordable Electric Car
          by Cristen Hemingway Jaynes
          March 16, 2023
        EcoWatch

        The best of EcoWatch right in your inbox. Sign up for our email newsletter!

          • Climate Climate
          • Animals Animals
          • Health + Wellness Health + Wellness
          • Insights + Opinion Insights + Opinion
          • Adventure Adventure
          • Oceans Oceans
          • Business Business
          • Solar Solar
          • About EcoWatch
          • Contact EcoWatch
          • EcoWatch Reviews
          • Terms of Use
          • Privacy Policy
          • Learn About Solar Energy
          • Learn About Deregulated Energy
          • EcoWatch UK
          Follow Us
          Facebook 573k
          Twitter 238k
          Instagram 37k
          Subscribe Subscribe

          Experts for a healthier planet and life.

          Mentioned by:
          Learn more