Sadly, not all of the vegetables grown by Hector ends up in our bellies. Carrot tops, potato skins, green stems, and other veggie scraps that are indigestible or unpleasing to our palates, as well as the occasionally ill-stored veggie-gone-bad often end up in the trash. According to the NYC Department of Sanitation, the average New York City household discards two pounds of organic waste each day—adding up to more than one million tons of organic material a year. When we discard this "waste," we crowd landfills with a potential resource that can help beautify our parks, gardens, and blocks…even our windowboxes and houseplants. This is because most organic materials can easily be made into compost.

What is Composting?Compost is a dark, crumbly material that looks and feels like potting soil. It forms naturally when organic materials decompose. Compost is an excellent soil conditioner -- it loosens the texture of heavy clay soils, making them better for root growth, and it helps light sandy soils retain water and nutrients. Compost is also a source of minerals and nutrients that are essential to plants.
Composting is a natural process taking place everywhere around us. When a leaf falls to the ground, it is eaten and digested by microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi, and by larger creatures, such as beetles and earthworms. Compost is the remains these organisms leave behind. It becomes part of the soil, where its nutrients are absorbed by plant roots to help make new leaves. Composting is nature's way of recycling.

What can I compost?

YES!!! You can put these materials in your backyard bin or pile:

• leaves and brush
• plant cuttings
• grass clippings
• fruit scraps
• breads and grains
• coffee grounds and filters
• tea bags
• egg shells
• wood chips
• sawdust
• wood ash
• old potting soil
• cut flowers
• food-soiled paper (napkins, paper towels)

NO!!! Don't add these materials to your compost:

• meat scraps
• fish scraps
• dairy products
• fats or oils
• grease
• dog feces
• kitty litter
• weed seeds
• charcoal ash
• non-organic materials

Tip: A convenient way to store kitchen scraps before composting or bringing them to a drop-off site is to keep them in the freezer in a large zip-lock bag, empty juice or milk carton, or empty salad greens carton.


Please visit our links page for a list of websites that can help you get started composting.


Food scrap drop off sites
If you do not want to compost in your apartment, house, yard, or community garden, donate your food scraps to folks who will compost it.

The Lower East Side Ecology Center Garden on 7th Street between Avenues B and C
(Sunday, 8 am to 6 pm or deposit your bag through wrought iron fence into bucket)

The Union Square Greenmarket E 17th St and Broadway
(Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, 8 am to 6 pm)

Fort Greene Park Greenmarket on the corner of Washington Park and Dekalb Avenue
(every Saturday,9am to 12 pm)

Garden of Union on Union Street between 4th and 5th Avenues in Brooklyn
(spring through fall, 10 am to 2 pm)

Hollenback Community Garden on Washington Avenue (Between Gates and Greene Avenues)
(Wednesday 6 to 8 pm, Saturday 3 to 7 pm, Sunday 10am to 12pm and 3 to 7 pm)

"6/15 Green" Community Garden at 6th Avenue and 15th Street in Brooklyn
(Saturday, 10 am to 2 pm)