UPDATED November 17th: Curbside composting pickup service
will resume in Community Board 7 (CB 7) during the week of December 6th.
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UPDATE: "The start of Curbside Composting in Brooklyn
Community Board 7, Manhattan Community Board 6, and
Manhattan Community Board 7 is postponed until further notice.
Residents will be notified of the new start dates and can check
this page (https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/dsny/site/services/food-scraps-and-yard-waste-page/bydistrict-curbsidecomposting) for updates."
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Curbside composting is back. The Sanitation Department's (DSNY) free curbside composting pickup service will resume in Community Board 7 (CB 7) during the week of November 1st. CB 7 includes Windsor Terrace, South Slope, Sunset Park, and Industry City.
Enrollment in the pickup service isn't automatic anymore. If you're a CB 7 resident who lives in a house, opt your house into the service by signing up at https://dsny.force.com/curbsidecomposting/s/.
Multi-unit apartment buildings also have to opt in at
https://dsny.force.com/curbsidecomposting/s/. DSNY requires the approval of the building's manager, owner, or board. The agency will notify your building's representative when pickup is going to begin.
All food waste can be put into the brown bins that DSNY supplies for composting, including
- fruit and vegetable scraps
- coffee grounds and tea bags
- shells (seafood, nut, and egg)
- meat, fish, and bones
- spoiled and expired food
- food-soiled paper (napkins, towels, uncoated plates, bags, trays, boxes)
Yard and plant waste can also be composted, including:
- leaves
- spent flowers and trimmings
- small twigs
- grass clippings
BPI approved compostable items can be composted.
Only the DSNY brown bins can be used for curbside composting. If you don't already have one of the free bins that they were supplying before service was suspended last May, ask for one when you sign up. DSNY will deliver it to you before your service is scheduled to begin. Bins are rodent-proof, with a lid that latches shut.
These items can't be composted:
- Trash of any kind including:
- diapers and hygienic products
- animal waste and kitty litter
- wrappers and packaging
- foam products
- Recyclables including:
- metal
- glass
- rigid plastic
- beverage cartons
- clean recyclable paper
- cardboard