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By Eric A. Goldstein

New York City’s just-adopted final FY ’25 budget allocates $6.2 million to support a reenergized community composting program in the nation’s largest city. 

The monies will fund non-profit organizations from all five boroughs who will spearhead neighborhood efforts to turn food scraps, yard waste and food soiled paper into useful finished compost and help teach residents, school children and businesses how to compost and why it’s important to do so.

The City Council has thrown a lifeline to 15 diligent and dynamic non-profit groups that can play a transformative role in how New York handles thousands of tons a day of organic waste – still the most problematic waste disposal challenge facing New York.   

New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, Sanitation Committee Chair Shaun Abreu and their council colleagues rescued this program after the administration of Mayor Eric Adams had proposed to eliminate funding for community composting.

The Council’s leadership on this issue is another important step on the road to making the city’s entire waste program more sustainable.