New Yorkers may soon be required to separate branches, leaves and twigs from their household trash — or face fines from the city. The sanitation department held a public hearing on the proposed rule, the final regulatory hurdle before it can go into effect. Under the rule, waste would be required to be kept in a separate bag or container from household garbage for pickup by the sanitation department. It could be put on the curb together with other organic waste like food scraps, for which composting remains voluntary.
The mandate could launch as early as Memorial Day weekend in Queens, where curbside composting pickup resumed this spring. Next will be Brooklyn, where the rule would go into effect in October, when curbside composting pickup starts in that borough. The rule would affect Bronx and Staten Island residents in March 2024 and Manhattan residents in October 2024.
If the requirement is enacted, the sanitation department plans to roll out a three-month “education and warning period” in each borough before summonses are issued. Those caught tossing their yard waste in their household trash could be issued a $25 to $100 ticket.