As New York City's composting regulations tighten, the Sanitation Department has turned to enforcement actions to encourage compliance. During the first week of issuing fines, the city handed out nearly 2,000 tickets to property owners for not separating organic waste, according to Brooklyn News12. This rule, which was initially soft-launched in October with warnings, took a decisive turn last Tuesday, April 1 when monetary penalties starting at $25 were introduced.
According to the Sanitation Department, the first week of April saw a collection of 2.5 million pounds of compostable material, representing a significant increase from the 737,000 pounds gathered during the same timeframe the previous year, as per information obtained by Gothamist. This jump in compost material volume indicates a 240% rise following the enforcement, while, residential composting rates have lingered around 5%.
The spokesperson for the Sanitation Department, Joshua Goodman, conveyed that the push for enforcement has had the desired effect, with more New Yorkers embracing composting. "New Yorkers have been clamoring for years for a curbside composting program that’s normal. No special rules, no off days, no starts and stops," Goodman told Gothamist. In a parallel effort to facilitate participation, more than 40,000 orders for composting bins have been received by the agency since early March.
Mayor Eric Adams stressed that the fines are intended not as a revenue stream but as an incentive for residents to adopt composting habits. "We don’t want to just hit people with fines to encourage them, we want people to buy into the program and make sure that it’s done correctly," Adams said in an interview reported by Gothamist.
