In New York City, there are specific guidelines for what can be placed in compost bins as part of the new free citywide composting initiative. While residents are encouraged to compost food scraps, food-soiled paper, and yard trimmings, there are restrictions on certain materials, including deceased pets and animal waste, as well as some other items.
Vincent Gragnani, a spokesperson for the sanitation department, emphasized that the composting program and processing facilities are designed primarily for residential food waste and related materials. Items that fall outside of these categories, such as dead pets, animal waste, and street animals, are not suitable for composting.
Items like dirty diapers, used cat litter, doggy bags containing soiled waste, and deceased rodents and pigeons should not be placed in the city’s brown compost bins. Sanitation officials are concerned about the potential spread of germs from feces and carcasses, and this policy is intended to maintain the safety and effectiveness of the composting process in accordance with current guidelines.
However, bones from meat and fish scraps are permitted in the compost bins, as they can be processed effectively.
For the disposal of deceased pets and animals, a longstanding city policy instructs New Yorkers to place them in labeled plastic bags for regular trash pickup.
The organic waste collected from residents is processed at the city’s composting facilities on Staten Island and through anaerobic digesters at Newtown Creek. The processed waste is then left in large piles outdoors to aerate for several months, ultimately transforming into nutrient-rich soil. The natural decomposition process generates sufficient heat to eliminate diseases, making the compost safe for use.
The citywide composting program aims to divert approximately 8 million pounds of organic waste generated daily by New Yorkers away from landfills, where it can contribute to harmful greenhouse gas emissions. Apart from materials like fecal matter and deceased animals, the program accepts a wide range of organic items, including meat, bones from food scraps, dairy, prepared foods, and greasy uncoated paper plates and pizza boxes, as outlined on the sanitation department’s website.
This composting initiative was initially introduced in Queens last year and is set to expand to all of Brooklyn in October, with plans for further expansion to all Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island residences next year. Additionally, there are upcoming composting reforms, including a mandatory citywide yard waste composting requirement in Queens, and a City Council bill that would mandate composting of all food scraps for New Yorkers.
