Mayor Adams introduced the city’s first composting mandate

by Verus Real Estate

For the first time ever, New York City will make composting mandatory. Mayor Eric Adams proposed the city’s first composting mandate on Monday, March 27. It will require New Yorkers to put yard waste, such as leaves, flowers, twigs, and grass clippings, in separate bins. The new rules may go into effect this summer.

NYC residents would be required to compost their yard waste for eight months of the year. Otherwise, they might face fines that range from $25 for a first-time offense to $400 for those who commit a third offense. The NYC Department of Sanitation will pick up bins with yard waste from March to July and from September to November.

Once the changes take effect, the DSNY will begin the program with a three-month education and warning period, 6sqft reports. It will start in Queens. The composting mandate will also come to Brooklyn sometime this fall and the remaining boroughs next year. The city would also hold a public hearing on April 27 to discuss the new composting mandate.

NYC lawmakers have been trying to promote composting for over three decades. In the fall of 2022, the city launched a voluntary curbside composting program in Queens, which became extremely popular among the borough’s residents. The program diverted 12.7 million pounds of yard waste and food scraps last year, proving there is demand for a sustainable solution to trash disposal.

“I’ve always thought that New Yorkers wanted to do the right thing when it comes to composting – that they wanted to get the rat food out of the black bags and out of landfills – and last fall, Queens residents proved that to be true. Over the next 19 months, this same simple, universal model will come to every corner of the five boroughs, and it starts right here in Queens this week,” said Commissioner Jessica Tisch.

Resources:

“New York City Sanitation Commissioner Tisch and Queens Borough President Richards Celebrate Return of Curbside Composting to All of Queens,” (NYC, 2023)

“Adams proposes NYC’s first composting mandate,” by Aaron Ginsburg (6sqft, 2023)

“Mayor Adams wants NYC to mandate curbside recycling of yard waste,” by Gwynne Hogan (Gothamist, 2023)

“NYC to provide every home in Queens with weekly curbside composting,” by Aaron Ginsburg (6sqft, 2022)