NYC's expanded food waste recycling initiative receives City nod

NEW YORK (Scrap Monster) : The New York City passed 44-1, a forward looking legislation which proposes to expand organic waste collections. The bill ensures the expansion of residential organic collection pilot program. It also would help extend the recently launched public school food waste collection pilot projects.

The legislation upon final approval by the Mayor would commence not later than October 1st and will run through July 2015. The residential organic waste pilot project on Staten Island will continue until July 2015. Three similar pilot projects would be implemented in other boroughs during 2014. The aim is to bring 100,000 households under the pilot program by June next year.

Also, the legislation is slated to implement pilot projects for collection of organic wastes from school lunchrooms in at least 300 schools which will cover 3 boroughs by January 2014. Later it would be expanded to 400 schools across all five boroughs. It is being proposed to bring the multi-family residential buildings located on school food waste collection routes under the pilot collection program.

According to estimates, food waste and yard waste accounts for more than 25% of the NYC’s residential waste stream.