Brooklyn rolls out curbside composting program

The New York Department of Sanitation (DSNY) has announced its curbside composting program will be available to all Brooklyn residents Oct. 2.

Following last year's launch of the pilot organics program in Queens, Brooklyn will follow suit as part of New York's citywide curbside compost collection program. Brooklyn residents can order a DSNY brown composting bin for free through Oct. 13. 

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DSNY will accept all leaf and yard scraps, food waste and food-soiled paper as part of the program, including meat, bones, dairy products, prepared food and uncoated food-grade paper products. Food waste can be disposed of in tied garbage bags and placed in any DSNY brown bin or appropriately labeled 55-gallon or less container with a secure lid.  

Yard waste must be separated but can be mixed with food waste only when the materials are placed in a bin with a secure lid. Yard waste can be disposed of in any DSNY brown bin, paper lawn and leaf bag, clear plastic bag or an appropriately labeled 55-gallon or less container with a secure lid. Twigs and branches should be bundled with twine and placed on the curb next to bins or bags. 

DSNY says it will not accept diapers, personal hygiene products, animal waste, wrappers, nonpaper packaging or foam products. 

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In 2022, the pilot of the Queens curbside composting program diverted 12.7 million pounds of material in its first season, DSNY reports. Queens District 12, covering Jamaica, Hollis, St. Albans and Springfield Gardens, had never participated in organics collection and diverted more yard and food waste than the entire seven-district legacy opt-in program combined, the organization says.  

According to DSNY, the current program is less than one-third the cost per district of the previous curbside organics program.  

Curbside organics pickup will roll out for the other three boroughs in 2024.  

*This article was edited Sept. 28, 2023, to remove the attribution of the curbside composting program to New York's Zero Waste Act.