NYC Parks and DSNY have extended the life of parkland composting sites for six more months after a hearing in City Hall last week. This battle reached its peak when politicians and community members alike joined a Zoom call where they garnered attention for the then-upcoming hearing on the matter at City Hall. Although testimonials are still be considered from those who are adamantly against the proposal of transforming the aforementioned recycling sites into paved-over parking lots, NYC Parks issued a statement Friday declaring that the composting site at Queensbridge Park is extended until June 2021, at which time they say they will aid in finding composting a new home elsewhere on “a non-Parks site.”
“As the caretaker of our City’s 30,000 acres of parks — of which 10,000 are natural areas – composting has long been a regular part of our sustainable management practices,” said NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver in the announcement. “In an effort to help Big Reuse continue their composting operations without interruption while they relocate, Parks will grant a 6-month extension of their use of Queensbridge Park.”
The news of this extension also comes alongside the fact that NYC Parks are doubling down on their plans funded by Mayor Bill de Blasio on the $11m project to create “recreational space” for the residents of the Queensbridge Houses, which is still set to begin in January of 2021.