NYC Compost Project Celebrates One Year of ‘Commuter Composting’
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Left: Ryan Green, Compost Associate with the NYC Compost Project hosted by the Lower East Side Ecology Center
Time flies when you’re making compost! This week, the NYC Compost Project celebrates its first anniversary of the city-wide initiative, one that has turned food scraps into nutrients for tree beds, community gardens and other green spaces throughout New York. As of right now, about 410 households utilize the program, which converts a whopping 3,265 pounds of food scraps (normally en route to landfills) into something more valuable.
To kick off year two, the project is giving away goodies (totes, hats) all week to residents who bring their waste to one of six designated drop off spots.
“With Commuter Composting, we are trying to meet New Yorkers where they are which often happens to be on the way to the subway,” says NYC Compost Project Coordinator Gina Baldwin.
In case you don’t have the schedule:
Queens and Brooklyn – Monday mornings at Queens Library at Steinway, the Vernon-Jackson 7 train, the Greenpoint Avenue G train and Tuesday mornings at the Broadway N/Q train.
Manhattan – Monday-Friday at Houston and 1st Ave and Tuesday and Thursday mornings in Chelsea.
And a list of what to save, and what to toss:
Save
• Fruit and vegetable scraps
• Coffee grounds, filters, & paper tea bags
• Bread and grains
• Egg and nutshells
• Stale beans, flour, and spices
• Cut or dried flowers
• Houseplants and potting soil
Toss
• Meat or fish scraps
• Cheese or dairy products
• Fats, grease, or greasy foods
• Pet feces or litter
• Coal or charcoal ashes
• Non-biodegradable materials
• Diseased or infested plant
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