Composting Under Threat… Again

Once again, organics recycling and composting initiatives in the city are at risk. The Mayor’s proposed budget would greatly reduce the budget for community composting and halt the expansion of the curbside organics recycling service. On March 3, 2022 North Brooklyn Neighbors joined Council Members Sandy Nurse and Lincoln Restler and other allies to demand that the city do better towards achieving its zero waste goals. 

The following day, Lisa Bloodgood, NBN’s Executive Director testified at a Committee on Sanitation and Solid Waste Management public hearing on the importance of restoring the budget for both community composting and curbside service.

From her testimony:

We are very concerned about the Mayor’s proposed 50% cut to the Community Composting Program and ask that it be fully funded. For years, this program has been not only diverting organic waste from landfills, but has been processing food scraps and creating compost, an incredibly valuable resource. This compost has benefitted city parks, community gardens, individuals, and perhaps most importantly, has sequestered carbon in our City’s soils and benefited our urban forest. The proposed cuts would be devastating to the groups currently working on community composting and that have done so much to build, maintain, and grow enthusiasm and buy-in to composting in the City of New York, and remain one of the City’s best avenues to promote organics recycling.

We will continue to work with the #SaveOurCompost coalition to advocate for increased funding and accessibility for both community composting and curbside service in New York City.

Click on the PDF below for the full testimony.

03.04.2022-Sanitation_Council-Testimony_North-Brooklyn-Neighbors