NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — Compulsory composting became enforceable by fines in New York City starting at the beginning of the month, leaving some homeowners angry and a coalition of councilmembers pushing for a bill to reverse the law that the council previously passed.
The bill is sponsored by the Common Sense Caucus and intends to overturn the Department of Sanitation’s mandatory composting rules, which first went into effect in October but only became enforceable on April 1.
NYC Councilmember Kristy Marmorato, representing the northeast Bronx in District 13, told 1010 WINS that the DSNY has already issued around 2,000 fines. She sponsors the bill in addition to councilmembers David Carr, Vickie Paladino, Inna Vernikov, Susan Zhuang and Robert Holden.
“One neighborhood in my district in Pelham Bay there were over 150 tickets given out in that first week and these people are outraged, they’re upset, they feel like it’s just another taxation on private homeowners, on the working class,” Marmorato said.
According to Maramorato, a lot of residents are upset because there was not proper education and outreach to the community on how to properly compost—a charge the DSNY vehemently disputes.
“We have done extensive outreach on this: door knocking, traditional media, social media, and visits to Community Boards and civic groups,” a sanitation spokesperson said. “Every New York City resident has received a clearly worded mailer on mandatory curbside composting this week or last, with [tailored messaging].”
The department said that it also issued 30,000 warnings leading up to the beginning of enforcement.
Maramorato and her co-sponsors believe that composting should not be thrust upon New Yorkers as a mandatory action, rather an optional service.
“I think it should be an option. We shouldn’t be forced to compost. We live in the city. It’s not like we’re in the country where we can go out to our yard and just throw this composting out in the mulch pile,” she said. “What’s going to happen in the heat? It’s going to end up being gross … it’s going to be a disaster over the summertime.”
Under the current law New Yorkers are required to separate compostable material—including food scraps, yard and leaf waste and food-soiled paper—into a labeled bin with a secure lid, or a DSNY brown bin.
“We would note that it was the City Council that passed the mandate in the first place,” the DSNY spokesperson continued. “Our understanding is that this proposal was introduced by a few specific council members.”
The law was passed in June 2023 as part of the “Zero Waste Act,” a legislative package meant to advance the city’s efforts to keep organic waste from landfills, fight climate change and prioritize sustainability.