By Madina Toure
Residents can now drop off food scraps at a program held at the Flushing branch of the Queens Library.
The Queens Botanical Garden, the NYC Compost Project and City Councilman Peter Koo (D-Flushing) kicked off the first day of the QBG Food Scrap Drop-Off Program March 23 at the library, located at 41-17 Main St.
Residents can drop off their food scraps at the library every Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. During those hours, QBG staff will be present in front of the library to accept food scraps and provide more information about composting and recycling initiatives.
Residents can bring fruit peels and cores, vegetable scraps and even coffee grounds and tea bags to the site. A full list of food waste accepted is available at on.nyc.gov/
“Living in a densely populated urban environment means we should try even harder to lessen the environmental impacts of our actions,” Koo said. “Composting is an eco-friendly way we as consumers can help reduce the amount of waste we produce while at the same time providing nutrient-rich soil for our environment.”
The new Flushing site is one of four public composting sites in Queens operated by the NYC Compost Project. The other sites are in Kew Gardens, Ridgewood and Briarwood.
Financed by the city Department of Sanitation’s Bureau of Recycling and Sustainability, the program is part of a citywide endeavor to reduce organic waste going into landfills. Residents have contributed 36,000 pounds of scraps since April 2015.
Elsa Higby, project manager for the NYC Compost Project hosted by QBG, said she is happy to see people working together to make the city cleaner and more environmentally friendly.
“The success of the drop-off program is really made possible by the dedication of local residents and strong partnership between NYC Compost Project, the Garden, our local officials like Councilman Koo, and our host sites,” Higby said.
Donna Ciampa, the Flushing Library’s library manager, said the drop-off program is a simple action that can have a substantial effect.
“By working with Queens Botanical Garden and providing a food scrap drop-off site, Flushing Library encourages environmental awareness, which ties into our mission to provide learning opportunities,” Ciampa said.
Reach reporter Madina Toure by e-mail at mtour
