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Composting Expands In NYC, Could Be Mandatory In Two Years
By
Lauren Evans
Published Jun 17, 2013
Modified Jun 17, 2013
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Tien Mao/Gothamist
By
Lauren Evans
Published Jun 17, 2013
Modified Jun 17, 2013
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If the success of a pilot program on Staten Island is any indication, all of New York City might be composting its food scraps. In what may or may not be one of the final pet projects of Bloomberg's tenure, residents across the city will soon get to experience the thrill of not only separating out paper and plastic for recycling, but also items like chicken bones and egg shells!
Bloomberg announced plans to launch the pilot during his State of the City address in February, and was met by pooh-poohing from Staten Island Borough President James Molinaro, who sniffed a the time that "I think most people are not going to like it."
As it turned out, more than 43 percent of homes selected for the program participated since the pilot launched in May, which, according to the Bloomberg administration, signals a success.
The program will begin on a voluntary basis, though sanitation officials predict that it will be made mandatory by 2015 or 2016. While many people may balk at the idea of storing rotting food in their cramped kitchens, composting initiatives have seen great success in other cities like San Francisco and Seattle. New York is notoriously crummy at recycling, with only 15 percent of its total waste diverted from landfills. Many people think composting is the key to improving that dismal figure.
“It’s revolutionary for New York,” Eric A. Goldstein, a senior lawyer with the Natural Resources Defense Council, told the Times. “If successful, pretty soon there’ll be very little trash left for homeowners to put in their old garbage cans.”
Of course, there's nothing to stop you from beginning to sharpen your composting skills today. All you need is some motivation, this link and the ability to properly distinguish a corn husk, from, say, a Coke can. You can also drop off your scraps at one of several composting sites around the city.
If all of that is just too much, go ahead and keep throwing it in the gutter like you do anyway. Or on the Citi Bikes.
Tagged
bloomberg
composting
recycling
Lauren Evans
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