BY ANGELA MATUA
Queens residents will soon have “Commuter Composting” in order to properly dispose of their household food waste, according to the Department of Sanitation (DSNY).
The DSNY is expanding its curbside organic waste recycling program and also adding 11 new food scrap drop-off locations. Residents will also see 19 more seasonal sites this summer, for a total of 64 sites throughout the city. The drop-off program offers composting opportunities for New Yorkers in neighborhoods or buildings that do not receive curbside collection of organic waste.
The “Commuter Composting” program will be offered in Ridgewood outside the Fresh Pond Road M train station, located on Fresh Pond Road near Putnam Avenue, on Wednesdays from 8 to 10 a.m.; and in Kew Gardens outside the Union Turnpike E/F train station, on Kew Gardens Road between 80th and 81st avenues, on Thursdays from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m.
The collected compost will be distributed to local greening groups such as urban farmers, community gardeners and street tree stewards to improve the quality of the soil.
Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia said the program will help redirect organic material from ending up in landfills. Last week, the DSNY announced it would expand its household organics collection program in Maspeth, Middle Village and other areas of the city.
“Organic material makes up about a third of our city’s trash,” Garcia said. “We are excited to be able to provide more opportunities for New Yorkers to recycle their food waste. By increasing the number of food scrap drop-off sites, more organic material can be composted instead of going to landfills.”
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