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Community Compost Sites Back Up and Running in Queens

Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia shovels compost with Council Members Jimmy Van Bramer and Peter Koo at the Queensbridge Composting site (DSNY via Twitter)

Sept. 18, 2020 By Allie Griffin

Community compost and food scraps drop-off sites are back up and running in Queens after the sites were shuttered for months due to pandemic-related budget cuts.

The sites were reopened after the city’s executive budget restored $2.8 million to community composting for Fiscal Year 2021 last minute, the Department of Sanitation (DSNY) said earlier this month.

The funding allowed the Department to restart all of the NYC Compost Project mid-scale compost educational facilities, provide support to small compost sites and reopen some food scrap drop-off sites throughout the five boroughs.

Local Queens officials celebrated the reopening of the Queensbridge community composting site on Tuesday.

Council Members Peter Koo, Jimmy Van Bramer and Antonio Reynoso joined Acting Queens Borough President Sharon Lee and Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia in welcoming back the composting site.

“We are thrilled that funding was restored in the adopted budget to support our partners and to offer community-based solutions to our waste crisis,” Garcia said. “It’s been a tough year all around, but this restoration of funding has given us hope that our partners will be able to continue to do their crucial work in the long term.”

The compost educational facilities process food scraps and yard waste from drop offs and provide finished compost to community gardens. The facilities also offer tours and volunteer opportunities.

Open drop-off sites can be found on the DSNY website.

The department’s brown bin curbside composting program, however, remains suspended. The curbside collection of food scraps and yard waste is expected to remain shuttered through June 30, 2021.

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