Curbside compost signups open

Curbside composting returns after a COVID hiatus.  Eagle file photo

By Rachel Vick

Curbside compost is one step closer to coming back, the Department of Sanitation announced Wednesday.

In the past, blocks were added by the city, but Queens residents and apartment buildings will now have an opportunity to sign up for the eco-friendly collection service themselves.

“We are very happy to have received the funding needed to help restart our curbside composting program,” said Sanitation Commissioner Edward Grayson, a Queens native. “This waste makes up about a third of what we throw out, and to move towards a zero-waste city, we need to put this very valuable material to beneficial reuse.”

During the initial rollout, the 3.5 million New Yorkers who participated before the pandemic pause will be the first to receive the service, but DSNY is encouraging others interested to sign up and express interest.

Food scraps, food-soiled paper products — like napkins and uncoated boxes — and yard waste are placed in a DSNY-provided bin to be turned into compost.

Service will resume on a rolling basis beginning this fall based on the number of signups in each neighborhood.

The registration form is available at nyc.gov/curbsidecomposting.