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Compost pilot program in western Queens to start

Compost pilot program in western Queens to start
By Sarina Trangle

Come spring, families living in Community Board 5 will have access to a free, organic waste collection program offered by the city.

As part of a pilot program, city Sanitation Department workers will offer curbside collection of food scraps, plant debris and yard waste in some Glendale, Middle Village and Maspeth residences.

The city started testing the collection method in fall 2012, collaborating with select schools, neighborhoods and institutions.

By 2013, sanitation workers were picking up organic scraps in more than 30,000 homes in the Bronx, Brooklyn and Staten Island.

The current expansion is expected to serve 100,000 more homes.

New participants will receive a brown organics bin and a small kitchen compost container.

Sanitation workers will pick up the bins while making routine recycling rounds.

Reach reporter Sarina Trangle at 718-260-4546 or by e-mail at strangle@cnglocal.com.