In a surprising turn of events, Staten Island has emerged as a leader in New York City’s new curbside composting program, countering the vocal opposition that has surfaced on social media.
Data released by the Department of Sanitation indicates that Staten Island’s community boards dominated the collection of compostable materials in April and May, the program’s initial months.
Community Board 3, representing the South Shore, and Community Board 1, covering the North Shore, topped the city’s community boards with impressive collections of 2.84 million pounds and 2.06 million pounds, respectively.
Notably, Community Board 2, which includes the Mid-Island, also made the top tier by collecting 1.99 million pounds, placing it fourth behind Brooklyn’s Community Board 11 at 2 million pounds.
Queens Community Board 12 rounded out the top five with a collection of 1.78 million pounds, showcasing robust engagement in composting across diverse neighborhoods.
The compostable materials are classified as organic waste, which residents are now required to separate from regular trash.
This includes items such as food scraps, yard waste, and grass clippings.
Despite Staten Island having a smaller population compared to other boroughs, its community boards are geographically larger, but their leadership in composting reflects a comparable population density in relation to other areas of the city.
According to the Department of City Planning’s Community District Profiles, Staten Island is smaller in population than the other top-performing boroughs, yet it shows significant commitment to the composting initiative.
Vincent Gragnani, a spokesperson for the Department of Sanitation, addressed the ongoing debate, stating that the data undercuts the notion that composting is largely confined to the city’s more liberal districts.
“While many would lead us to believe Park Slope is the beating heart of the compost belt, we are seeing that the city’s most avid composters are in every neighborhood of Staten Island,” he remarked.
Gragnani further stressed that Staten Islanders diverted almost seven million pounds of waste from landfills within just two months, a significant achievement for the program.
New Yorkers were originally warned about potential fines for not composting starting April 1, but due to confusion surrounding the program, Mayor Eric Adams announced a brief suspension of enforcement on April 18.
City officials explained that the goal is to improve participation levels through outreach and education before reinstating penalties on repeated non-compliers.
For larger buildings of 30 or more units, fines of $100 may still be imposed even after four warnings.
Meanwhile, all other structures are expected to see fines resume by the end of the year, though specific dates remain unclear.
A City Hall spokesperson emphasized that, while enforcement has been paused, the requirement for composting continues to be mandatory across all five boroughs.
Despite the temporary halt in enforcement, the regulations are still in effect, which reinforces the scope of the largest municipal composting program in the United States.
Gragnani noted that subsequent community giveback events have successfully distributed over 2 million pounds of reusable compost throughout the five boroughs, highlighting the ongoing impact of this initiative.
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