INSIGHT: COMMUNITY COMPOSTING IN BROOKLYN, NY

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If you live in an apartment or simply do not have yard space, you may still be able to participate in composting. Community compost facilities are springing up like mad in larger cities such as the Big Apple itself. This is lucky for urban folk who still want to reduce their landfill footprint by composting food waste.

Living in New York I did not have access to a yard but found community composting easy to do and even fun. I would save my food scraps (all fruit and vegetable peelings and pits; rice, pasta, bread, and cereal; coffee grounds with filter and teabags; and eggshells—nothing meaty, fishy, or greasy) in plastic bags in my refrigerator and every Saturday would take them down the The North Brooklyn Compost. It became a weekend routine along with doing the laundry and grocery shopping. The project is a 100% volunteer effort where people volunteer to help turn over compost and have an opportunity to talk about issues like sustainability and reducing the municipal waste stream. For me it was a great weekly reminder I can make a difference with small simple steps to my urban lifestyle. For community composting near you try asking your local community gardens if they offer it or know of anyone who does.