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Let’s not beat around the bush: waste in Long Island has become a huge problem.
To better understand the gravity of the situation, let’s take a look at a simple math equation.
There are over 2.9 million residents in Long Island. Every day, each person generates 4.9 pounds of municipal solid waste. This means that over 14 million pounds of municipal solid waste are produced every single day.
While both households and businesses contribute to this issue, today we’re going to focus on the unique challenges businesses face in waste management in Long Island—with the closure of major landfills and increasing pressure to find cost-effective, sustainable disposal solutions making it especially difficult.
Key Takeaways
- The closure of the Brookhaven landfill brings concerns about escalating illegal dumping, increased construction and renovation costs, and worsening traffic conditions, while some believe it presents the perfect opportunity to create more Long Island recycling centers to improve sustainability.
- New York’s expanded recycling laws require more businesses to participate in food donation and scraps recycling, with 99% of large food scrap generators outside of New York City expected to manage their waste sustainably once fully implemented.
- There are companies that offer food scrap and compostable pick-up services to support waste management in Long Island, thereby ensuring proper transport to treatment centers and helping businesses stay compliant with regulations.
- Separating recyclables, food waste, and landfill waste at the source by placing clearly labeled bins in strategic areas helps companies reduce contamination and enhance landfill diversion efforts.
Why Recycling Food Waste in Long Island Matters
The equation above makes it clear that better organic waste management is required in Long Island, particularly for commercial entities like restaurants, grocers, and manufacturers.
With food waste contributing to a range of environmental issues—like methane emissions, pollution, and resource depletion—there’s growing pressure on businesses to recycle food waste, reduce landfill contributions, comply with state organics regulations, and support sustainability efforts.
However, to truly understand the situation, here are the factors that are currently impacting Long Island recycling efforts:
- Landfill shortages: The closure of the Brookhaven landfill—a major topic of discussion—has been delayed in favor of a phased closing that will run through 2027 or 2028. While many locals are happy about the closing, it also brings up the issue—where will the waste go? There’s also the concern that this closing could lead to escalating illegal dumping, increased construction and renovation costs, and worsening traffic conditions. While there are different opinions regarding this closure, some say that this is the perfect opportunity to create more Long Island recycling centers to improve sustainability.
- Sustainability goals: There has been some progress toward the reduction of waste in Long Island, with 62.5% of organic waste now sent to four on-island waste-to-energy facilities. For businesses, improving waste management not only supports statewide goals but also aligns with ESG and corporate responsibility efforts—a huge incentive for companies looking to reduce their environmental impact.
- Regulatory compliance: New York recycling laws have expanded to require more businesses to participate in the food donation and food scraps recycling program by lowering the annual average waste threshold. When this law is fully implemented, it’s estimated that 99% of large food scrap generators outside of New York City will manage their waste in a sustainable and sensible way. That said, companies that want to remain compliant and avoid fines must have a comprehensive commercial food waste disposal strategy in place.
How Does Commercial Recycling Work in Long Island?
To improve waste management in Long Island, companies must understand the difference between private and municipal services, how location influences recycling access, and how waste management partners can support their sustainability goals.
Private and Municipal Services
Many local governments in New York State—such as counties, cities, towns, and villages—have some type of role in waste management. In 2017 alone, local governments outside of New York City spent more than $900 million on trash collection and disposal. Some of their responsibilities include transfer stations, recycling centers, combustors, landfills, and even trash haulers.
These services are known as public—or town-run—services and differ from private waste services in Long Island.
Private services—or third-party waste services—are contracted independently by businesses or households and are typically responsible for the transportation and treatment of waste, with services like composting and anaerobic digestion being popular Long Island waste services.
While both public and private services support sustainability goals, many companies opt for private services due to the limited municipal options.
Commercial Organics Pickup
To make composting for businesses easier than ever, some companies provide pick-up services for food scraps and compostables. In addition to supporting waste management in Long Island, NY, this service ensures that food waste is carefully transported to treatment centers, thereby preventing health issues and helping businesses stay compliant with regulations.
That said, services may vary depending on location and business type. At Shapiro, we understand that each business has unique requirements. As part of our sustainable waste management solutions, we create tailored strategies that work for you, ensuring your organic waste is picked up at the time and frequency you require.
Access to Long Island Recycling Centers
There are also Long Island recycling centers where businesses can take their organic waste to be treated. These drop-off centers are becoming increasingly common throughout the United States, though access depends on local infrastructure and waste hauling services.
For instance, one program in Long Island is only available to Riverhead Town residents and potentially restaurants and small businesses. This pilot program demonstrates how local initiatives can effectively engage communities; if you’re interested in this pilot program, you can sign up here.
While this is just one example, we recommend checking what resources are available near you, considering factors such as the volume of waste you generate and the local infrastructure for handling it.
What You Can and Can’t Compost in Long Island
Companies must sort organic waste properly to ensure it can be composted or processed without contamination. It’s important to note, though, that not all Long Island recycling centers are the same; some have more advanced technology than others, allowing them to process a wider variety of items.
That said, here are the general guidelines for composting:
Compostable Materials
Long Island waste disposal centers typically accept the following materials:
- Fruit and vegetable scraps
- Coffee grounds and tea bags
- Leaf and yard waste
- Paper napkins (unbleached)
What Not to Compost
The following items may cause contamination or violate local guidelines:
- Meat and dairy (unless accepted by vendor)
- Oils and fats
- Plastic-lined containers
- Diseased plants
- Glass, foil, or wrappers
How Long Island Businesses Can Improve Waste Management
Improving waste management in Long Island is key to increasing operational efficiency, staying compliant, and enhancing your brand image.
Below, we’ve provided some practical tips to help your company optimize waste operations over time.
1. Conduct a Waste Audit
Food waste audits help businesses identify waste sources and quantities, offering valuable insights that lead to waste reduction, enhanced sustainability, and improved operational efficiency.
These audits can be carried out before creating a waste management strategy, but also after the strategy has been implemented. This ensures your internal processes are optimized and that you are accurately reaching goals such as reducing food waste and climate change.
2. Set Up Clear Waste Streams
Separating your recyclables, food waste, and landfill waste at the source is a great way to minimize contamination and increase landfill diversion efforts. You can do this by putting separate bins for different types of waste in strategic areas throughout your facility, ensuring they’re clearly labeled for proper disposal.
As we’ll discuss below, your team should also be trained on waste separation to support your overall sustainability goals.
3. Train Staff and Set Expectations
Your staff should be properly trained in waste reduction, which may include hands-on training in new processes and technologies, tracking food waste throughout the supply chain, and learning how to effectively separate and handle waste to support reduction efforts and ensure compliance.
By getting your entire company involved, you can create a culture of sustainability that helps reduce your environmental footprint.
4. Work with the Right Vendors
You don’t have to take on waste management alone. There are companies like Shapiro that specialize in collecting, transporting, and treating organic waste, making it easier for you to meet sustainability goals and avoid fines.
As an experienced food waste recycling company, our team will work closely with you to help you comply with changing New York recycling laws and take the stress out of sustainability initiatives.
5. Track Performance Over Time
To ensure your strategy for waste disposal in Long Island is successful, you should continuously monitor your waste output and set internal diversion goals. You can do this by implementing an effective food waste tracking system, which involves identifying sources of waste, measuring the amount of food wasted, analyzing the data, and making changes.
As an added bonus, tracking your progress is a great way to demonstrate impact to stakeholders and customers.
Navigating Food Waste Challenges in Long Island
No one said reducing Long Island waste would be easy. There are multiple challenges that companies may come face-to-face with, including fragmented services across towns, limited organics infrastructure, evolving regulations, and internal operational strain.
Rather than facing these challenges alone, your company can partner with an experienced waste management company—one that aligns with your sustainability goals and understands your day-to-day realities.
This partnership:
- Builds Waste Plans Around Your Operations: Your company needs a solution tailored to industry-specific challenges and requirements. With a dedicated waste management partner, you can access custom solutions, pickup schedules, and specialized support that minimizes disruption and waste overflow.
- Provides Transparency from Pickup to Processing: “Out of sight, out of mind” doesn’t necessarily apply when we’re discussing something as important and sensitive as food waste. Your waste management partner will ensure you know where your waste goes and how it’s handled, providing the insights needed for compliance, reporting, and long-term planning.
- Supports Staff with Clear Sorting and Training Guidance: Waste management professionals ensure your team is up to date with new regulations and best practices, empowering them to separate waste confidently, improve diversion rates, and reduce contamination.
- Aligns with Your Sustainability Mission: A values-driven partner goes beyond disposal, helping businesses turn waste into measurable impact through composting, data tracking, and thoughtful diversion strategies. They also help you navigate the waste management landscape, helping you understand concepts such as aerobic vs. anaerobic composting and what qualifies as biodegradable waste.
Conclusion
Effective waste management in Long Island is the key to reducing food waste and minimizing your environmental impact.
By partnering with a waste management company, your business can stay compliant with food waste regulations and achieve your sustainability goals—without the headache of navigating complex disposal and compliance challenges.
Whether you require assistance from a biochar company or are looking for a solution that targets agricultural waste recycling, Shapiro is your trusted partner for all your waste management needs.
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.
