The city sells some to landscapers and distributes the rest free of charge to residents, schools, and community gardens.
“We’ve given out, we think, almost 6 million pounds of compost to the residents of New York City this year,” McDonnell said. The compost helps improve soil health, manage stormwater, and keep city greenspaces thriving.
Staten Island Compost Facility turns New York City food and yard waste into “black gold.” New York, N.Y., September 9, 2025. (REUTERS/Christine Kiernan
Nationwide, food scraps and yard waste are the largest share of household trash, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council. When sent to landfills, they generate methane, a potent greenhouse gas.
“If we want to take a bite out of the climate crisis, we’ve got to get our food scraps out of landfills and into composting,” said Eric Goldstein, New York City Environment Director at the council.
The city’s organics collection program requires all residents to separate food scraps, food-soiled paper, and yard waste from trash. While enforcement was paused earlier this year, it is expected to resume in 2026.
(Reporting by Christine Kiernan, Editing by Rosalba O’Brien)
Thumbnail courtesy of REUTERS/Christine Kiernan.