Sanitation’s Organics Collection Expands to Windsor Terrace

A Department of Sanitation worker collects organic refuse in this undated photo. (Courtesy Department of Sanitation)

The Department of Sanitation expanded its collection of organic waste to Windsor Terrace in Brooklyn on May 12.

The department already operates the program in parts of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, and Staten Island.

One third of all waste collected in New York City is organic. The program’s aim is to divert part of that waste from landfills and convert it to compost, a natural fertilizer. A portion of the waste is sent to the Newtown Wastewater Treatment plant to be turned into natural energy.

Organic waste “includes all food scraps—such as vegetables and fruits, prepared foods, meat, bones, dairy, coffee and tea bags; food-soiled paper —such as napkins, paper towels, and paper plates; and yard waste—such as leaves, grass clippings, and garden trimmings,” according to the Sanitation Department.

The expansion to Windsor Terrace is part of a larger initiative which will eventually reach 70,000 households in Bay Ridge, Sunset Park, Windsor Terrace, and Park Slope in Brooklyn, and portions of Glendale, Middle Village, and Maspeth in Queens.

The department introduces the program to residential buildings with nine or less units by sending free mailers that describe the program. The buildings then receive free plastic kitchen containers and a larger brown bin for the outdoors.

Larger buildings are not contacted automatically, but Sanitation Department encourages them to sign up online at nyc.gov/organics.