Why Composting in NYC can work.

Hey have you taken my survey on recycling yet… https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/3GTHQJY

In my last post (Composting 101) I wrote a general overview of composting. I figured it would be helpful to read my [ before this post, so if you haven’t already read it why not give it a read before you come back to read this post? Today, I am going to be talking about the implementation of composting throughout NYC by the Department of Sanitation’s composting department.

Do these brown and orange trash cans look familiar? If they do, that’s probably because your neighborhood was selected for a ‘trial run’ of the NYC Composting Project; for the time being the collection is only offered in particular neighborhoods.

 

A map designating areas that collection is available.

I am also providing a link to a PDF where you can find out if your neighborhood is eligible : http://www1.nyc.gov/assets/dsny/docs/nyc-organics-collection-areas.pdf 

According to the Department of Sanitation they are offering this service because,”Organic waste accounts for about 31% of all waste generated by residents in New York City. Organic waste includes yard waste, food scraps, compostable paper (napkins, paper plates, etc.), and other materials suitable for industrial-scale composting.

Operating a curbside program helps NYC reduce waste sent to costly landfills, deters pests by storing food waste in special rodent-resistant bins, and creates compost (a natural soil amendment) or renewable energy.”

So the Department of Sanitation is being proactive, but they are really starting to get things done. New NYC composting rules are forcing hotels, restaurants, sports arenas and food wholesalers to recycle their food waste. If any of the businesses mentioned above meet this criteria they are required to recycle or else they will be fined anywhere from $250 upward to $1,000. The requirements are as follows: hotels will at least 150 rooms, stadiums with 15,000 or more seats and large food-processing plants.

According to an article published in the Daily News, “The rules will require businesses to separate their food waste from other trash and recycling and hire a carting company to compost or reuse it. They will also have the option to compost themselves on site.”

You can receive compost produced by the DSNY.

If your happy that composting is getting a push in the right direction and being supported by new laws, don’t forget that we need your help too. I am taking the zero waste pledge, by taking the pledge you will receive a FREE reusable bag or cutting board form the Department of Sanitation.

Take the pledge with me! http://www1.nyc.gov/assets/dsny/contact/programs/zero-waste-pledge.shtml

I hope this blog post provided an insight into why composting in NYC can work, this is just the beginning.

Ashley

 

Composting 101

Hey have you taken my survey on recycling yet… https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/3GTHQJY

What is composting?

Composting is the process of recycling organic material into a rich soil known as compost.

What organic material can be used to compost? These are just a few items you can compost that you may have never thought of.

• Dog waste
• Pet hair
• Wine gone bad
• Leather watch bands
• Wool socks
• Pencil shavings
• Toenail clippings, don’t lie I Know you all cut your toenails…
• Liquid from canned foods
• Elmer’s glue
• Melted ice cream
• Unpaid bill

A list of organic materials that are more common.

• Egg shells
• Shredded newspaper
• Potato peelings
• Banana peelings
• Tea bags
• Paper towels
• Grass clippings
• Coffee grounds
• Dryer lint
• Dead flowers

Types of Composting: Proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency

1. On-site Composting is ideal to compost small amounts of organic materials. Yard trimmings and food scraps are most appropriate. This means that the compost produced on site is directly used onsite. This type of composting can be in a vessel or in a pile. 
2. Vermicomposting is basically a worm farm. Red worms in a bin feed on organic material. One pound of mature worms can eat up to half a pound of organic material a day. The size is relatively small and is ideal for apartment dwellers, small offices, or schools.
3. Aerated Windrow Composting is used to process very large masses of organic material, this is suitable for a situation like community collection. This requires the organic material to be put into long rows (windrows) which have to be manually turned to aerate the piles.
4. Aerated Static Pile Composting is the simplest and most cost-effective to compost large volumes of organic material. It is a giant pile of organic waste to which items such as woodchips and shredded newspapers are added to aerate the pile. It is ideal for farms or landscapers who produce large amounts of yard/grass clippings and other materials such as food scraps and paper products.
5. In-Vessel Composting is designed to process food waste, manure and bio-solids (several forms of treated sewer sludge). In-Vessel composting uses a method that confines the composting material in a closed vessel. These are large and take up a lot of space and are ideal for large food processing plants. I hope you learned something new by reading this post, my next post will be about composting in NYC.

Ashley