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Coronavirus News: NYC suspends curbside composting program until June 2021

ByEyewitness News WABC logo

Monday, April 20, 2020

NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- The New York City Department of Sanitation announced Monday that it is suspending its curbside composting pickup until June of 2021 due to budget cuts related to the coronavirus pandemic.

Starting Monday, May 4,residents who use their brown bins for curbside composting should discard food scraps and yard waste with their trash.

Trash should be put out for collection in securely tied heavy-duty bags or leak proof receptacles with tightly fitting lids, and any food scraps and yard waste set out for collection on or after May 4 will be collected as trash.

Officials say this is a temporary suspension, and residents should keep their bins for when service resumes.

Brown compost bins belong to the address where they were originally delivered, and the sanitation department will not collect brown bins.

After your last collection, use soap and water to clean your bin and place it in storage for when the program resumes. Do not leave your bins on the curb.

Food scrap drop-off sites have been temporarily closed due to social distancing mandates, and the department will determine the feasibility of reopening certain sites at a later date.

Residents are encouraged to make compost on their own if they have the space to do so.

The sanitation department also announced the indefinite suspension of appointments for curbside electronics collection.

"These are painful cuts to make, and we do not take these changes lightly," Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia said. "The city is facing an unprecedented crisis, and these service reductions will allow the city to maintain emergency services and its core municipal services."

Residents looking to get rid of e-waste will be able to find other opportunities as conditions allow at nyc.gov/electronics.

For further updates, residents should call 311, visit nyc.gov/sanitation or follow @nycsanitation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.