Universal curbside composting came to Queens. Now it’s Brooklyn’s turn.
The program, which is expanding across the city over the next year, requires residents to separate food scraps and yard waste from their trash. Soon, it will be mandatory for all New Yorkers.
Composting is crucial for fighting climate change, explained Councilwoman Sandy Nurse, a sponsor of the Zero Waste Act, a legislative package that passed this summer and includes the curbside bill. When food waste goes into landfills, it produces methane, “which is the worst of the greenhouse gang,” she said.
Domingo Morales, the founder of the grass-roots organization Compost Power, added that composting makes soil healthier, which improves food growing capabilities and can also capture more carbon dioxide.
Here’s what New Yorkers should expect when it arrives in their areas.
When will curbside composting come to my neighborhood?
Pickup has been offered in Queens for about a year now, except for a three-month pause last winter. On Oct. 2, curbside came to Brooklyn. The Bronx and Staten Island will be next in March, followed by Manhattan in October 2024.