2 days Ago By Catalina Gonella
Nothing says spring like a fresh pile of compost. A third compost distribution site is set to open in Queens next week, the city’s sanitation department announced this week. Residents will be able to pick up free 40-pound bags of compost from 77-28 19th Avenue in Astoria.
Acting Sanitation Commissioner Javier Lojan said the opening follows a spike in the amount of food and yard waste collected by the department. “The amount of compost collected from City residents skyrocketed this spring, with the Department collecting more than 2.5 million pounds in one week alone,” Lojan said by email.
. “New Yorkers are setting out their food and yard waste at the curb, and we are thrilled to return it to them as finished compost.” The DSNY expanded its curbside composting program to all boroughs last October, though public data for April indicates that just 5.
52% of the city’s organic residential waste is actually being composted. That’s still more than in March, when public data shows under 4% of residential organics were being collected. Increased enforcement could be driving that number up — the city started fining property owners who don’t follow the rules April 1.
The city’s compost is processed at DSNY’s Staten Island Compost Facility, which produced about 42 million pounds of compost per year over the last several years, according to the department. After its recent expansion, it can now process more than 200 million pounds of material, the department said. The city also operates compost giveback sites in Greenpoint, Brooklyn and Fresh Kills, Staten Island on Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings, in addition to community pop-up events across the city.
It also gives free compost to fellow agencies and nonprofits. Meanwhile, commercial landscapers and other businesses can purchase compost in bulk. The Queens Compost Giveback Site will operate on Wednesdays from 5 pm to 7 pm and Saturday from 8 am to 10 am starting on April 23, through Sept.
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