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Did you know that all NYC residents are required to separate food scraps, food-soiled paper, and yard waste from trash?
As of April 1, 2025, important changes to NYC compost rules have been implemented to support the city’s sustainability goals. To comply with this initiative and avoid fines, all businesses—especially those in the food industry —and residents should be aware of new NYC composting rules.
This article explains everything you need to know about NYC composting laws, including new standards, penalties, and tips for ensuring compliance.
Key Takeaways
- The NYC composting law is mandatory citywide, meaning all buildings—no matter the size—as well as some commercial New York City businesses, are required to comply.
- Residents must follow several compost bin standards to ensure compliance, including using bins no larger than 55 gallons, labeling them properly, ensuring they have secure lids, and avoiding black plastic liners.
- Improving the city’s waste management system offers multiple benefits, including lowering landfill costs, reducing landfill waste, addressing the rodent problem, promoting a circular economy, and enhancing urban air quality.
- Recycling laws in New York also affect a number of businesses. Under Local Law 146 of 2013, certain NYC businesses are required to separate their organic waste, including food scraps, food-soiled paper, and certified compostable products.
Overview of the NYC Composting Rules
Is composting mandatory in NYC?
In short, yes. However, we must dive into the details of these new rules to better understand how they apply and what’s expected of residents.
Scope of the Composting Mandate
The NYC composting law is mandatory citywide. This means that all buildings—no matter the size—as well as some commercial New York City businesses, are required to comply.
In addition, all schools, New York City agencies, and nonprofit institutions must follow the rules for setting out trash, recycling, and compost. The only entities not required to separate compost from trash are non-profits, private and religious schools, and pre-Ks on residential routes.
Types of Waste Covered by the Law
Composting rules in NYC require the separation of organic waste from regular trash. This includes:
- Food scraps
- Food-soiled paper
- Leaf and yard waste
These materials must be placed into designated compost bins for separate collection. However, if your bin has a secure lid, you can mix leaves and yard waste with food waste.
Required Compost Bin Standards
There are multiple rules that residents must follow to ensure compliance, including:
- Choosing a bin that is 55 gallons or less.
- Ensuring bins are properly labeled.
- Equipping all bins with secure lids.
- Not lining the bins with black plastic bags (you can use clear plastic, paper, or compostable bags).
Anyone who fails to comply with New York recycling laws—including meeting bin standards and properly separating waste—may receive a warning or be issued a fine.
Enforcement and Penalty Structure
To better understand the penalty structure of the NYC composting law, check out the image below.
It’s important to note that the grace period for this new rule began in October 2024 and ended on April 1, 2025, meaning penalties will now be issued to those who don’t participate. However, DSNY has extended the outreach and education period for buildings with fewer than 30 units, meaning residents have more time to learn about proper organic waste management.
For now, violations will only be issued to buildings with 30 or more units that are also identified as repeat offenders.
Environmental Goals Behind the Law
In NYC, households generate 54% of the city’s food waste, contributing to a range of environmental consequences, including methane emissions, pollution, and resource depletion.
That said, improving the city’s waste management system offers multiple benefits, including:
- Lowering landfill costs
- Reducing the amount of waste sent to landfills
- Addressing the rodent problem
- Promoting a circular economy
- Improving urban air quality
How to Comply with NYC Compost Rules
Keep reading for a step-by-step guide to better understand how to meet the new composting requirements.
And for more information about composting, read our guide on composting food waste.
1. Identify Compostable Materials
A successful composting effort begins with knowing what to separate from regular trash. As mentioned, food scraps, food-soiled paper, and leaf and yard waste are the three categories that must be separated.
To better understand what this entails, let’s go over some of the materials that are and are not accepted in this composting initiative.
Accepted
- Meat
- Bones
- Vegetable peels
- Dairy
- Prepared foods
- Greasy uncoated paper plates and pizza boxes
Not Accepted
- Diapers
- Personal hygiene products
- Animal waste
- Wrappers
- Non-paper packaging
- Foam products
- Metal
- Glass
- Plastic
- Cartons
- Clean paper
- Cardboard
Failure to separate these items properly may result in the entire bin being considered contaminated. Buildings that generate large quantities of waste—such as multi-unit businesses or food service establishments—must be especially careful with their food separation to avoid fines.
2. Proper Bin Usage
As discussed above, compost bin requirements include choosing a bin that holds 55 gallons or less, ensuring bins are properly labeled, and equipping all bins with secure lids.
In addition to these NYC compost rules, bins must be set out according to local collection schedules, not left exposed between pickups. Residents should set out their compost the night before collection day—after 6 PM if using a bin or after 8 PM if placing bags of leaf and yard waste directly on the curb.
Compost is collected every week on the same day as recycling, with the collection schedule depending on where you live. Click here to determine when your compost will be collected each week.
3. Storage and Collection
Owners and property managers of buildings with 4 or more units must provide a designated storage area with clearly labeled compost bins.
In addition, there are strategies that building managers can implement to reduce odors and pests, including:
- Storing bins in cool, shaded areas.
- Cleaning bins regularly.
- Keeping bins tightly sealed.
- Avoiding overfilling bins.
Important: Commercial businesses that are not eligible for city pickup may need to coordinate with private haulers to ensure compliance with NYC composting rules.
4. Employee Training
Don’t underestimate the importance of involving tenants and employees in the composting process. By getting everyone involved, you can foster a culture of sustainability and improve the chances of avoiding fines for noncompliance.
This is especially important for food handlers, restaurant staff, custodial teams, and building management, who play an important role in ensuring composting guidelines are followed consistently. Buildings can create signage near waste stations explaining what goes where and conduct short onboarding sessions or refresher training.
Residents should also be educated on proper composting techniques—such as what can and cannot be composted, which bins to use for different types of waste, and how often compost is collected.
What NYC Compost Rules Mean for Business Owners and Commercial Properties
Food waste recycling in New York also affects a number of businesses. Under Local Law 146 of 2013, certain NYC businesses are required to separate their organic waste, including food scraps, food-soiled paper, and certified compostable products.
While compliance requirements vary by business type, this law applies to:
- Food services
- Retail food stores
- Catering establishments
- Food manufacturers
- Arenas and stadiums
- Food preparation locations
- Temporary public events
- Food wholesalers
To ensure proper waste management—including restaurant food waste—establishments must update workflows, from sorting at prep stations to setting up compost collection protocols.
In addition, there are various best practices that businesses can implement, as shown in the image below.
These recycling laws should be seen as an opportunity—not only to avoid penalties, but to modernize waste practices and align with sustainability goals.
Business Challenges with NYC Compost Rules
Proper food waste management is no simple task—businesses often face multiple challenges along the way.
To better prepare, keep reading to learn about the obstacles your business may face when reducing food waste in NYC—and how composting for business sustainability solutions can help you overcome them.
1. Storage & Pickup Logistics
A common challenge businesses face is safely storing compostable waste before food waste collection pick up services. This is especially true in urban environments, where odors, pests, and leakage are common concerns.
By working with a partner like Shapiro that offers tailored food waste recycling services, businesses can access proper container systems, a convenient pickup schedule, and ongoing compliance.
2. Managing Volume and Contamination
Navigating waste management is an even more complex task for high-waste generators, such as restaurants and food manufacturers. That said, if waste isn’t properly sorted, compost may be rejected and businesses could face fines.
To avoid this, Shapiro provides sustainable organic waste solutions to help businesses manage waste and ensure compliance through better sorting systems and staff guidance.
3. Lack of Training and Accountability
Staff turnover, unclear roles, and shared responsibilities can all lead to non-compliance. That said, a key aspect of commercial food waste disposal is ensuring all employees understand how to compost in NYC.
Partnering with a commercial waste management provider gives you access to custom training programs that keep teams aligned. This supports your sustainability goals and fosters a more unified workforce.
4. Complex Regulations for Multi-Site Businesses
Chains, franchises, and businesses across boroughs may face logistical inconsistencies. For instance, they may have different pickup schedules or even varying requirements.
For that reason, partnering with a team that understands NYC’s composting zones and regulations can help your company navigate compliance and ensure every location meets its sustainability goals.
Conclusion
NYC compost rules are a great step in the right direction, as they support the U.S.’ goal to cut food loss and waste in half by the year 2030. However, businesses and residents must do their part to support these new laws—helping improve urban sanitation and build a more circular, sustainable citywide waste system.
As sustainability initiatives continue to grow, ask yourself: are you doing everything you can to reduce food waste in NYC?
At Shapiro, we’ll work closely with you to evaluate your current waste management strategy and optimize it to ensure compliance. Through partnerships with initiatives like the Linden renewable energy project, we’re well-equipped to help businesses manage large quantities of food waste.
Contact us today to learn more about our services.
Baily Ramsey, an accomplished marketing specialist, brings a unique blend of anthropological insight and marketing finesse to the digital landscape. Specializing in educational content creation, she creates content for various industries, with a particular interest in environmental initiatives.
