FOOD SCRAP DROP-OFF PROGRAM
Through this program, New York City residents can take their kitchen food scraps (see full list below) to a convenient drop-off site at New Amsterdam Market every Sunday, starting May 13. These valuable materials will be taken to Governors Island, where they will by composted by Earth Matter NY.
The Earth Matter Compost Learning Center is located at Picnic Point on the island, where food scraps are processed into earth-enriching compost with the help of worms, chickens, and goats. The Center is open to visitors every Saturday and Sunday through the end of September, from 12 to 4 pm.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
This initiative is part of the NYC Compost Project Local Organics Recovery Program, funded by the New York City Department of Sanitation, Bureau of Waste Prevention, Reuse, and Recycling. Since the 1990's, this innovative Bureau has developed and managed one of the country's most innovative urban organic waste recycling systems which includes municipal leaf collection and composting, the Rikers Island food waste composting facility, public education programs at the city's four Botanical Gardens, and the distribution of free compost to residents, institutions, community gardens, and parks in all five boroughs.
The concept of community-based urban composting was pioneered in NYC in 1990 with the creation of the Lower East Side Ecology Center by its co-founders, Clyde Romero and Christine Datz-Romero. Using food scraps to make compost, a derelict city owned piece of land was transformed into a vibrant green open space, and in 1994 the Ecology Center initiated a drop off and education program at the Union Square Greenmarket. This program now collects 200 tons of food scraps each year and has inspired similar collection programs throughout the city.
HOW TO
Community Composting is simple: when cooking or working with plants, set aside acceptable organic materials, which can be placed in plastic bags and stored in your freezer until you take them to the market each Sunday:
ACCEPTABLE MATERIALS
fruit and vegetable cuttings, peels, pits, and seeds, and nuts
food scraps or leftovers that are not greasy
bread scraps, and cooked or uncooked rice, pasta, grains, and cereals (not greasy)
coffee grounds (including paper filters), loose tea, and tea bags
egg shells
cut or dried flowers and flower stems
houseplants, plant cuttings, and potting soil
NOT ACCEPTABLE
meat, chicken, or fish
greasy food scraps, fats, or oils
milk, cheese, butter, or other dairy
diseased or infested houseplants and soil
kitty litter or pet feces
coconuts
WHERE TO TAKE FOOD SCRAPS
The Market Desk, usually located at the center of the market and signed "New Amsterdam Market"
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