Unleashing The Potential Of Residential Composting
Composting has reduced the garbage sent to landfills by up to 80% in San Francisco, but in New York City, where food scraps account for an estimated one-third of all garbage, composting has not yet had the desired impact. One of the reasons for this is the need for further education of residents on the benefits of composting programs.
Residential Composting in New York City
With the aggressive goal of a 90% reduction in landfill use, Mayor Bill de Blasio launched The Zero Waste initiative in 2015, and composting by residents and businesses was an integral part of the plan.
Royal Waste has since taken a proactive approach to NYC organic recycling by educating their customers and all of their employees on proper food waste management procedures.
“Education to customers is vital for success. We continue to work with our customers with pictures and surveys, not only checking up on volume but more so on the cleanliness of their recycling waste stream.” – John Reali, Co-Director of Sustainability for Royal Waste Services
Not only does Royal Waste Services Inc. offer single-stream recycling and organic waste pickup across all five New York City boroughs, but they also own and operate an organics recycling facility.
The Future of Composting in New York City
Until recently, the Sanitation Department provided brown bins to residents and picked up organic waste such as food scraps, which were converted to compost or energy. At the time, New York had the largest compost program in the country, picking up 43,000 tons of food scraps.
However, with the onset of COVID-19, the city was forced to suspend its residential composting programs. The suspension of the city’s composting program left the people of New York with no alternative. To continue organic recycling, New York residents must secure private collection services for their food scraps and yard waste.
Conveniently, Royal Waste has been there to fill the gap with dedicated compost trucks in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx. The company has been educating residents on the benefits of composting and providing organic waste pickup for some time and continues to be a driving force behind the goal of reducing landfill waste.
With the suspension of the city composting program, Royal Waste has become an even greater force behind the push for the 90% reduction of landfill waste.
From farm to recycling and back to the farm, Royal Waste’s Organics Recycling program is a true closed-loop system. Contact Royal Waste Today and participate in the Organics Recycling Program.
