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By Vianella Burns

HARLEM, NY — Due to city budget cuts, a nonprofit with locations in Harlem has ceased offering composting services, although local politicians are mobilizing to contest this change.

GrowNYC, overseeing a network of over 80 open-air greenmarkets, farmstands and fresh food boxes, announced the conclusion of compost programming at both locations last week due to the nonprofit’s depletion of funding.

Earlier this spring, the nonprofit filed a state notice indicating that 60 workers were slated for layoffs this summer. However, an anonymous donation following the city’s funding cut in the fall enabled GrowNYC’s programs to continue operating and its workers to remain employed, as previously reported by Patch.

As of this week, those funds have since been exhausted, resulting in the organization’s need to lay off employees this past Monday, Council Member Shaun Abreu said on social media.

On Monday, Abreu, representing Manhattan’s Seventh District, spearheaded a rally at City Hall advocating for the reinstatement of funding for composting and other green initiatives in the forthcoming budget.

“Today, as GrowNYC is forced to shut down food scrap drop-off sites and lay off unionized workers due to budget cuts, I joined advocates at City Hall to say one thing: Save our compost,” Abreu said.

Both Levine and Abreu emphasized on Monday their desire for Mayor Eric Adams to reverse the budget decision and reinstate funding for these community programs.

“This decision is killing jobs and setting our city back big time when it comes to trash management,” Abreu said.

Through initiatives like GrowNYC, New Yorkers would bring their food scraps to farmers’ markets and other designated drop-off locations. Subsequently, this organic waste would circumvent landfills and undergo transformation into nutrient-rich soil, benefiting parks, gardens, street tree soil and households.