A group of Big Apple lawmakers want to toss composting laws in the trash.
The City Council’s Common Sense Caucus on Thursday introduced a bill that would reverse mandatory composting just one week after the new rules went into effect — and thousands of disciplinary fines were handed out.
The proposed law would require the Department of Sanitation to “remove organic waste from the city’s list of designated recyclable materials” and once again make composting voluntary.
As the law currently stands, all New Yorkers — regardless of residence type — are required to sort food scraps and food-soiled materials from their regular trash, or face monetary fines starting at $25.
Within the first ten days, the agency handed out 2,462 fines — which at a minimum reaped $61,550.
However, because larger apartment buildings face higher penalties and the price jacks up for repeat offenders, the true total is likely much higher.
“As it is, this mandate is nothing but a money grab,” Republican Councilmember Joann Ariola, of Howard Beach, seethed on X.
“I have no issue with composting — in fact I think it is a good thing. But I don’t think anyone should be forced into it or penalized for opting not to.”
Landlords and property owners gripe that the new laws have added pressure and unrealistic work standards for their staff — and inadvertently sent supers dumpster diving to separate the trash residents couldn’t be bothered to sort.
The Department of Sanitation, however, has touted the program as a success, pointing to a jaw-dropping 2.5 million pounds of food scraps, food-soiled paper and yard waste that was collected since April 1, the first day the new rules went into effect.
That’s a 240% increase from the 737,000 pounds of compostable material that was collected a year prior when organic recycling was encouraged in the five boroughs but not mandated.
“This works. New Yorkers have been clamoring for years for a curbside composting program that’s NORMAL. No special rules, no off-days, no starts and stops — not a niche program where we act like they’re doing us a favor by participating, but a regular, easy-to-use Sanitation service,” Vincent Gragnani, a spokesperson for the Sanitation Department, told The Post Thursday.
“Past administrations talked a big game about composting, but none of them had the guts to get it done.”
The proposed bill was spearheaded by the seven members of the Common Sense Caucus, who were joined by South Brooklyn Democrat Mercedes Narcisse.
The small group will likely run into trouble passing the bill — the City Council only approved the mandatory composting laws in 2023.
The rules went into effect in October, but the monetary fines weren’t handed out until April 1.
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