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
