Mandatory curbside composting expanding to all of NYC in October

NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) – The mandatory curbside composting program announced last year will take effect citywide starting the first week of October, according to the New York City Department of Sanitation.

“Every residence in New York City is going to get weekly curbside composting service,” DSNY Commissioner Jessica Tisch told 1010 WINS. “If New Yorkers set out anything from their kitchen or yard on their recycling day, we will come and pick it up and turn it into renewable energy or soil.”

Residents in the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island are currently receiving notices about the new service and rules.

“When we send materials to landfills, they sit there for decades, producing gases that are very harmful to the environment,” Tisch said. “What we want to do is get as much material as possible out of landfills.”

The program initially started in fall 2022 now operates in approximately half of the city, including Brooklyn and Queens. It will expand to Manhattan, the Bronx and Staten Island on Oct. 6. Residents of these boroughs can request a brown bin for their compostable material at nyc.gov/curbsidecomposting .

In an earlier statement, Tisch emphasized that separating compostable material in a secure bin is a key part of the city’s war on rats.

“Curbside composting fights rats and helps the planet. It’s a win-win—especially when it’s easier than ever,” Tisch said.

Bin orders will remain open until Oct. 28 but must be placed early to guarantee delivery before the start of service, according to the DSNY statement.

Additional or replacement bins can be purchased at www.bins.nyc. Under the law, separation of compostable material will be mandatory after service begins in each borough, with DSNY authorized to issue summonses starting in the Spring of 2025.

“Anything from your kitchen, anything from your yard,” Tisch said. “We like to say if you cook it or you grow it, you can throw it. So we ask all New Yorkers, starting the week of Oct. 6 and every week thereafter on their recycling day, to set out their compostable material in a separate bin.”

Ginny Keenan contributed to this report.