New York City's Composting Mandate Goes Into Effect on Oct. 6

New York City’s composting mandate goes into effect Oct. 6, requiring buildings, including co-ops and condos, to separate food scraps and yard waste from their regular trash. After a grace period ending Apr. 2025, fines ranging from $25 to $300 will be imposed for failing to comply. The Department of Sanitation (DSNY) says enforcement will be similar to existing recycling regulations. “Mixing compostable material — or recyclable material — with trash can result in a violation,” says Vincent Gragnani, DSNY press secretary. The new rules apply to all buildings, regardless of size, with compost collection happening on the same day as regular recycling pickups.

For buildings with refuse rooms, the implementation may be fairly straightforward. A.J. Rexhepi, CEO of Century Management, notes larger co-ops will be able to streamline composting on each floor, the way they handle regular trash. "We’ll see technology become more mainstream allowing residents to go to their refuse room and dump compost in there," Rexhepi says. Smaller buildings — whether it’s a walkup or boutique condo — may face more challenges because space is very limited. “The intent is right, but the execution remains to be seen,” he says. 

This is the first time composting collection has been offered in Manhattan, Staten Island and the Bronx, although it’s been available in Queens since 2022 and Brooklyn since 2023. The challenge is going to be getting residents on board who aren’t yet used to it. “If the building is fined and we can trace it back to a resident, we can fine the resident,” says Mark Levine, principal at the property management firm EBMG. The fines will be scaled depending on building size and number of offenses. Even so, the investigative work involved with issuing fines may be unrealistic. 

Within apartments, residents are encouraged to put their scraps in a countertop container or in the freezer before it goes into the building’s 55-gallon dedicated brown bins, ideally once a week on the night before collection. Nearly everything from your kitchen or yard can be composted, including raw, cooked, leftover and spoiled food, along with food-soiled paper and pizza boxes. Pet waste, cat litter, medical waste and hygiene products are excluded and should not be put in compost bins.

A big part of the city’s composting efforts are aimed at tackling the five boroughs’ enduring rat problem. However, Daniel Wollman, CEO at property management firm Gumley Haft, says building staff are rightly nervous the composting bins will bring vermin inside. “Buildings will need to adjust to the amount of food matter they accumulate, getting additional compost bins if necessary,” he says. The bins need to be securely closed at all times. To avoid fines, Levine says it’ll be important to have either staff, management or a board member visit the compost area regularly to make sure bins are sealed and only contain organic material. You can line your compost bin with a compostable bag or — though it sounds counterintuitive — a plastic bag. The facility where the compost ends up has machinery to separate food waste from bags. 

The kitchen waste and yard scraps collected from buildings across the city are mostly sent to the Newtown Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant in Brooklyn, where it is mixed with water. Anaerobic digestion, a process that breaks down organic materials without oxygen, creates the renewable fuel biogas. The same process of decomposition would happen in a landfill, but the processing plant allows methane — a major contributor to climate change — to be captured and used as a substitute for natural gas. 

DSNY is providing free resources and materials to buildings, including bins, bags and educational materials. Q&A sessions are offered to educate residents and building staff on the new rules and provide tips for compliance. Twigs and branches should be bound with twine in bundles no bigger than 2 feet by 4 feet or placed in paper or clear plastic bags before being left at the curb. Set out laws changed last year and prevent you from putting out bins before 6pm. If your trash, yard waste or recycling is in a bag, you need to set it out after 8pm.