Yard waste to be collected for composting in NYC; rollout slated for March 2024 on Staten Island, DSNY says - SILive.com

Yard waste to be collected for composting in NYC; rollout slated for March 2024 on Staten Island, DSNY says - silive.com

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — New York City is rolling out a plan requiring people to separate yard waste to be collected for composting based on a new Sanitation Department rule.

The requirement will become effective on Staten Island on March 25, 2024, according to Sanitation Department documents supporting the rule change.

The effort is intended to increase composting while at the same time reducing the rat population and emissions of methane, a greenhouse gas, according to the Sanitation documents.

The rule has been adopted and goes into effect on June 30.

Composting of grass clippings and other yard waste already is underway in Queens and gradually will be implemented in the other boroughs.

“Organic waste, including yard waste, food scraps, and food-soiled paper, makes up 34 percent of all residential waste in New York City,” according to the Sanitation documents.

Composted materials could be used for fertilizer or renewable energy through anaerobic digestion.

“Diverting organic waste from the refuse stream can fight rats, divert waste from landfills, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and create beneficial products that enliven our parks and gardens or power homes with renewable energy,” according to the Sanitation documents.

Grass clippings and other organic waste break down in a manner that creates methane, a greenhouse gas that is 20 times stronger than carbon dioxide.

“Diverting this waste from landfills is an essential part of the City’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by 2050,” according to the Sanitation documents.