New York City Department of Sanitation Commissioner Jessica Tisch, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, and community leaders gathered in Archie Spigner Park, at the intersection of Jamaica and St. Albans, Queens, to celebrate the return of curbside composting to all of the World’s Borough beginning tomorrow. In Queens last fall, this simple, easy to use, universal program diverted 12.7 million pounds of leaves, yard waste and food scraps from landfills, with eight of Queens’ 14 community districts outperforming Park Slope. Jamaica and St. Albans, in particular, diverted more material from landfill than the entire pre-existing legacy composting program. As such, the model used in Queens – universal collection on your recycling day with no sign-up required – is now our gold standard and our process for scaling up citywide.
“I’ve always thought that New Yorkers wanted to do the right thing when it comes to composting – that they wanted to get the rat food out of the black bags and out of landfills – and last fall, Queens residents proved that to be true. Over the next 19 months, this same simple, universal model will come to every corner of the five boroughs, and it starts right here in Queens this week,” said Commissioner Jessica Tisch.
“When Queens puts its mind to something, we put all our weight behind it – the proof is in the nearly 13 million pounds of waste we diverted in just three months. I couldn’t be prouder of how the borough stepped up, specifically Southeast Queens, and shattered composting records last fall,” said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. “Initiatives like this are critical to our fight against climate change, and Queens will stop at nothing to ensure the borough we leave for our kids is not just habitable, but healthy. That’s exactly what we’re doing with this curbside composting program, and I can’t wait to see this program expand citywide in the year ahead.”
Commissioner Tisch and Borough President Richards also provided an update on the plan to thank the people of Queens for their role in making curbside composting a success. This spring, Queens residents will be able to pick up 40-pound bags of New York City compost for use in their yards and gardens. A full schedule of giveback events is at nyc.gov/getcompost – events are filling up quickly, and residents are encouraged to RSVP before this season’s compost is gone. The Department will conduct more compost giveback events in every borough as the curbside composting program proceeds, where the material that residents put out for composting is given back to them the following year as usable soil.
While curbside composting programs have existed in New York City for the last decade, none have ever served more than approximately 40 percent of the city. This new, effective, cost-effective model will scale citywide on the following timeline:
- March 27, 2023: Service restarts in Queens following a brief winter pause and becomes year-round. There will be no further seasonal breaks in any borough.
- October 2, 2023: Service begins in Brooklyn.
- March 25, 2024: Service begins on Staten Island and in the Bronx.
- October 7, 2024: Service comes to Manhattan, marking the first citywide curbside composting program ever.This is part of a plan to provide wrap-around composting service that also includes an expansion of the popular Smart Composting Bins, opened via the NYC Compost app, and compost separation and collection at all NYC public schools.