Simply Dirt: Compost NYC

What do you do with your left over food scraps?

Well heres a solution, COMPOSTING. 

NYC has a truly awesome compost program. There are so many food scrap drop-off places ALL over!

How Do I get started?


Step one: What to save

• Fruit
• Vegetables scraps
• Non-greasy food scraps (rice, pasta, bread, cereal, grains, etc)
• Coffee Grounds
• Coffee Filters
• Tea Bags
• Egg Shells
• Nut Shells
• Pits
• Cut or Dried Flowers
• House Plants
• Potting Soil

What not to save

• Meat
• Fish
• Bones
• Greasy Food Scraps
• Fat
• Oil
• Dairy
• Animal Waste
• Litter or Bedding
• Coal or Charcoal
• Coconuts
• Diseased or/and insect-infested house plants/soil
• Biodegradable/compostable plastics

Step Two: Where to store compost at home

You would think storing compost would be hard, but its really easy.

Keep your compost in any container (I use plastic bags that you put produce in when you go to the supermarket. Store your storage container with compost in refrigerator or freezer (i've had best luck with the freezer, no odor, no hassle.

Step Three: Where do I bring my compost

There are SO many locations to drop off your compost! Take a look at the places below to find a spot near you!

Locations:

BOROUGH	GREENMARKET	DAY	TIME	PARTNER
Bronx	Bronx Borough Hall Greenmarket Grand Concourse & 161st St	Tuesdays Jun 3 - Nov 25, 2014	8am-2pm	GrowNYC
Bronx	Parkchester Greenmarket Westchester Ave & White Plains Rd	Fridays Jun 13 - Nov 21, 2014	8am-3pm	GrowNYC
Bronx	Poe Park Greenmarket Grand Concourse & 192nd St	Tuesdays Jul 1 - Nov 25, 2014	8am-1:30pm	GrowNYC
Brooklyn	Bay Ridge Greenmarket 3rd Ave & 95th St	Saturdays Jun 7 - Nov 22, 2014	8am-1pm	DSNY
Brooklyn	Boro Park Greenmarket 14th Ave b/t 49th & 50th St	Thursdays Jul 10 - Nov 20, 2014	8am-1pm	GrowNYC
Brooklyn	Brooklyn Borough Hall Greenmarket Court & Montague	Saturdays Thursdays	8am-4pm 8am-2pm	GrowNYC
Brooklyn	Carroll Gardens Greenmarket Carroll St b/t Smith & Court	Sundays	8am-1pm	DSNY
Brooklyn	Cortelyou Greenmarket b/t Argyle & Rugby Rds	Sundays	8am-1pm	DSNY
Brooklyn	Ft. Greene Greenmarket Washington Park at DeKalb	Saturdays	8am-3pm	GrowNYC
Brooklyn	Grand Army Plaza Greenmarket NW corner of Prospect Park	Saturdays	8am-3:30pm	GrowNYC
Brooklyn	McCarren Park Greenmarket Union Ave and Driggs	Saturdays	8am-2pm	GrowNYC
Brooklyn	Sunset Park Greenmarket 4th Ave b/t 59th & 60th Sts	Saturdays Jun 21 - Nov 22, 2014	8am-1pm	DSNY
Brooklyn	Williamsburg Greenmarket Roebling & South 9th, b/t Division & Broadway	Thursdays Jul 10 - Nov 20, 2014	8am-3pm	GrowNYC
Brooklyn	Windsor Terrace – PS 154 Greenmarket PS 154 11th Ave b/t Sherman & Windsor Pl	Sundays May 11 - Dec 21, 2014	9am-1pm	DSNY
Manhattan	57th St Greenmarket 57th St & 9th Ave	Saturdays Apr 19 - Dec 20, 2014	8am-1pm	DSNY
Manhattan	79th St Greenmarket 79th & Columbus	Sundays	8am-1pm	DSNY
Manhattan	82nd St Greenmarket 82nd St b/t 1st & York	Saturdays	9am-1pm	DSNY
Manhattan	92nd Street Greenmarket 92nd St & 1st Ave	Sundays Jun 22 - Nov 23, 2014	9am-1pm	DSNY
Manhattan	97th Street Greenmarket W 97th & Columbus	Fridays beginning Jun 13	8am-2pm	GrowNYC
Manhattan	175th Street Greenmarket 175th St & Broadway	Thursdays Jun 26 - Nov 20, 2014	8am-2pm	GrowNYC
Manhattan	Abingdon Square Greenmarket W12th St & 8th Ave	Saturdays	8am-1pm	DSNY
Manhattan	Bowling Green Greenmarket Broadway at Battery Place	Tuesdays	8am-2pm	Battery
Manhattan	Columbia University Greenmarket Broadway b/t 114th & 115th Sts	Sundays Thursdays	8am-1pm 8am-3pm	DSNY GrowNYC
Manhattan	Dag Hammarskjold Plaza Greenmarket E 47th St & 2nd Ave	Wednesdays	8am-3pm	GrowNYC
Manhattan	Fort Washington Greenmarket 168th Street & Ft. Washington Ave	Tuesdays Jun 3 - Nov 25, 2014	8am-3pm	GrowNYC
Manhattan	Inwood Greenmarket Isham b/t Seaman & Cooper	Saturdays	8am-12pm	NYRP
Manhattan	Mount Sinai Greenmarket 99th St b/t Park & Madison	Wednesdays Jun 25 - Nov 26, 2014	8am-2pm	GrowNYC
Manhattan	St. Mark's Church Greenmarket E 10th St & 2nd Ave	Tuesdays Jun 3 - Nov 25, 2014	8am-2pm	GrowNYC
Manhattan	Tompkins Square Greenmarket E 7th St & Ave A	Sundays	8am-1pm	DSNY
Manhattan	Tribeca Greenmarket Greenwich St at Chambers	Saturdays, year round Wednesdays Mar 12 - Dec 24, 2014	8am-1pm 8am-1pm	DSNY GrowNYC
Manhattan	Tucker Square Greenmarket 66th St at Columbus Ave	Saturdays	8am-1pm	DSNY
Manhattan	Union Square Greenmarket NE Section of Union Square Park	Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat	8am-5pm	LES Ecology Center
Queens	Forest Hills Greenmarket South side of Queens Blvd & 70th Ave	Sundays	10am-12pm	BIG!Compost
Queens	Jackson Heights Greenmarket 34th Ave b/t 77th & 78th Sts	Sundays	9am-1pm	BIG!Compost
Queens	Socrates Sculpture Park Greenmarket Vernon and Broadway	Saturdays Jun 7 - Nov 22, 2014	10am-1pm	BIG!Compost
Queens	Sunnyside Greenmarket Skillman Ave b/t 42nd & 43rd St	Saturdays May 10 - Dec 20, 2014	10am-1pm	BIG!Compost
Staten Island	St. George Greenmarket St. Marks & Hyatt St	Saturdays May 3 - Nov 22, 2014	8am-1pm	DSNY
Staten Island	Staten Island Mall Greenmarket Richmond Ave entrance (Parking Lot)	Saturdays Jun 7 - Nov 22, 2014	8am-1pm	DSNY

FAQ:

How often do you drop off your compost?

 It really depends on how much compost I have. There are two contributors to our household compost, in which we usually drop off every week (Saturdays to be precise). Sometimes if my roommate and I have both been busy, we can get away with two weeks, but its always a wonderful walk through the park to go to Grand Army Plaza Greenmarket. 

Where can I get more information?

Phone (212) 788-7964

www.grownyc.org/compost