Curbside Composting is coming back fall 2021 with DSNY!

Signups for Curbside Composting with DSNY open August 2021

Curbside Composting is coming back fall 2021– in a new way! DSNY will collect food scraps, food-soiled paper, and yard waste and turn it into compost or renewable energy. This service is voluntary, and residents must sign up.

Sign Up for Collection (available early August)

Sign up for Notifications of Curbside Composting program start up

New Yorkers interested in curbside composting must let us know through our online form or by calling 311. Get notified when you can sign up.

Eligibility

The program is open to both 1 and 2-family homes, along with apartment buildings. See map below where this service is being offered. Sign up and DSNY will let you know if you live in an area that is eligible for service. If you are in an eligible neighborhood, we will notify you when service will start in your area. If you do not live in an area where the service is being offered, we will let you know about opportunities to bring your food scraps to a drop off location or how to compost at home. DSNY wants to hear from everyone interested in Curbside Composting as it helps them make the case to expand this service to more neighborhoods.

Apartment Building Eligibility

Use the map to check if your apartment building is in an area where curbside composting service is available. Ask your building management or board members to sign up. If you are in an eligible neighborhood, DSNY will notify the building representative when service will start in your area.

Service

Service will resume on a rolling basis based on the number of sign ups in your neighborhood. This way we can ensure there will be enough material set out for our trucks to pick up. The more sign-ups in your area, the quicker service will start!

If you do not have a DSNY-issued brown bin, you will receive one before your service begins.

Why Compost?

• Composting keeps our neighborhoods clean and healthy! Food scraps, food-soiled paper and yard waste make up a third of the trash New Yorkers throw away. Our brown bins have latching lids that make it harder for rodents and pests to get to your food waste. It’s much easier for them to rip open a bag at the curb.
• The finished compost made from your food and yard waste nourishes our soil for healthier parks and gardens.
• Composting makes our city more sustainable—we can reduce waste sent to landfills and create clean, renewable energy to heat or power homes.

What Goes in the Brown Bin

ALL FOOD including:

• coffee grounds and tea bags
• shells (seafood, nut, and egg)
• bones
• spoiled and expired food
• food soiled paper (napkins, towels, uncoated plates, bags, trays, boxes)

Yard and Plant Waste

DO NOT put in:

• Trash of any kind including:
  • diapers and hygienic products
  • animal waste
  • wrappers and packaging
  • foam products
• Recyclables including:
  • metal
  • glass
  • rigid plastic
  • beverage cartons
  • clean recyclable paper
  • cardboard

Spread the word!

Help us inform New Yorkers about curbside composting by sharing digital content (social media posts, sample text for newsletters, and graphics) from DSNY’s Make Compost, Not Trash website.