New Yorkers Face Fines as City Enforces Compost Law | Image Source: www.cbsnews.com
NEW YORK CITY, March 26, 2025 – In the growing momentum towards environmental responsibility, New York is entering a decisive phase of its ambitious membership mandate. As of April 1, the grace period ends, and residents of the five districts may be fined for not separating their food remains and regular organic waste. Although the program was officially launched in October 2024, public awareness and respect remain alarming. According to city data, less than 5 per cent of domestic organic waste is currently diverted from landfills, indicating a significant gap between policies and practices.
The Department of Sanitation (DSNY) will begin issuing fines ranging from $25 to $300 based on the size of the construction and the number of crimes. This movement marks a decisive shift in the New York zero waste initiative to reduce waste from methane-emitting landfills while mitigating rodent problems. But with the composition still foreign to many, the city faces logistical and cultural obstacles to make this change accept.
What is the New York City Compost Act, and who is it?
Approved by the New York City Council and launched in October 2024, the Act stipulates that all residents – if they live in a family home or large flat - must separate food waste, yard waste and food paper for compost collection. The rules are consistent with existing recycling schedules and are designed to create a perfect integration into weekly routines.
Buildings of less than nine units are liable to fines of $25 for a first crime, which increases to $50 for a second crime and $100 for any other crime. Larger buildings, with nine or more units, are subject to more severe sentences of $100 and up to $300. Owners must provide composite cubes with safe tapas and proper signage, while residents must follow the classification guidelines. As DSNY indicated, remediation supervisors will take security measures to inspect waste bags for non-compliance, such as protocols used in cities such as San Francisco and Seattle.
This movement is part of the city’s broader strategy to “contain” waste, make it less accessible to rats and reduce the environmental impact of rotting organic matter in landfills. However, according to Gothamist, participation in the programme is low, especially in dense urban areas and low density neighbourhoods.
Why are participation rates so low?
Despite the months of educational broadcasting, public signage and digital awareness campaigns, many New Yorkers are unaware or unaware of the composition requirement. Take John Hunt, a 75-year-old resident composer in Brooklyn, who didn’t know he was raping and throwing food into his garbage. When he was told about the rules, he said, “It’s going to be a pain in the neck. I’ll probably do it regularly until I get a ticket.”
Hunt’s feeling echoes in many neighbourhoods like Canarsie, where individual homes treat their own waste. On 99 East Street, for example, only three of the 20 households had compost containers on the day of collection. According to NBC New York City officials believe that the implementation phase will lead to greater compliance, as well as the city’s recycling program, which took decades to overcome a 40% participation rate.
In high-density neighbourhoods, owners often do not provide designated compost containers, further aggravating compliance. Without clearly defined exclusion points, tenants remain on the alert. Residents can notify these owners on April 1, but the disconnection between building management and tenant responsibility creates a bottleneck in the system.
What can and cannot be composed?
The NYSD continued to provide relatively simple guidelines to promote participation. The acceptable items are:
- All food scraps — including meat, fish, bones, dairy, and cooked meals
- Food-soiled paper products — napkins, greasy pizza boxes, coffee filters, and paper towels
- Yard waste — leaves, branches, flowers, and even Christmas trees
- Compost-certified products — labeled compostable utensils, containers, and packaging
However, some items exceed the limits. Residents should avoid throwing animal waste, layers, foam containers and medical waste into compost containers. The objective is to ensure that compost remains clean and usable for agricultural and landscape projects throughout the city.
To maintain sanitary buckets, the sanitation department recommends that they be filled with compost or transparent plastic bags, drain waste liquid food, and use soda or bottom baking paper to absorb moisture. For the residents of the apartment, sober gel before getting rid of them is another advice offered by DSNY to keep the smells within reach.
How will the execution work?
The implementation mechanism is modelled on existing recycling protocols. According to West Side Rag, health workers mark buildings that obviously do not meet during their normal rounds. These observations are forwarded to supervisors who then determine whether a fine should be imposed. Fines are sent to the owner or owner of the property, not to the individual tenant, by placing responsibility for building management to ensure that composting containers are provided and accessible.
During the initial warning phase, DSNY issued over 27,000 notices to non-compatible vessels. According to NBC New York, Acting Commissioner Javier Lojan pointed out that the city was ready to move forward: “It is the same supervisors who come out, check the segments and see what materials have been placed. If they receive confirmation that they have not put their organic waste for collection, then they are subject to the fine. “
The city believes that this “soft prevention” strategy has helped facilitate the transition, and now that implementation is on track, officials expect compliance to improve significantly.
Does the program still make a difference?
There are early signs of progress. In the Upper West Side Community Council 7 area, sanitation workers collected 817 tonnes of organic waste from October to February, an increase of 56% over the same period last year. Although this may seem impressive, it is still a decline in the cube compared to the general waste generated in the city.
According to CBS News, sanitary trucks currently collect only a fraction of the food waste that is disposed of daily, with the majority still in landfill. The hope is that with the application, education and creation of habits, composition will gradually become second nature for New Yorkers, as well as recycling.
For residents who want to do their part but lack resources, the city offers free composition labels for containers, and even releases finished compost to specific collection locations. These efforts aim to close the loop, allowing residents to see the tangible impact of their participation in the program.
What should residents do to avoid fines?
Compliance should not be complicated. Here is a checklist to avoid trouble and help the planet in the process:
- Use a secure-lid bin (55 gallons or smaller)
- Line it with compostable or clear plastic bags
- Drain wet scraps to avoid leaks and odors
- Separate food scraps, food-soiled paper, and yard waste
- Set bins out on your recycling day
- If your landlord hasn’t provided a bin, report them to 311 starting April 1
DSNY officials insist that they are not prepared to penalize, but to motivate. As one DSNY spokesperson said, “The Force is a tool to promote law enforcement. We designed this program to make it easy, and the results are beginning to appear. »
Ultimately, the composition consists of changing cultural norms – one banana shell at a time. Like many environmental initiatives, the journey begins with consciousness but ends with action. For New York City, April 1st marks a line in the sand, or perhaps more appropriately, a line in the compost chimney.
