Roosevelt Island Gets NYC Sanitation Department Smart Composting Bins For Kitchen Waste, Food Soiled Paper And Yard Waste 24 Hour 7 Days A Week - Wooohooo, Fantastic Says Resident, Give It A Try And Thank You Council Member Julie Menin For Advocacy

The Roosevelt Island Historical Society (RIHS) reported Friday, June 15:

A COMPOSTING BIN APPEARED ON THE SIDEWALK OUTSIDE THE OCTAGON. SEEMS TO BE A WEIRD PLACE TO PLACE THIS BIN…ANY EXPLANATIONS? 

On June 16, I asked NYC Department of Sanitation (DSNY):

... Several Roosevelt Island residents have noticed NYC Sanitation Curbside Compost bins placed on Roosevelt Island. See attached. Do you have any more info on the Roosevelt Island curbside compost bins? How many other bins will be placed on Roosevelt Island and where? How will the composting program work? 

A DSNY spokesperson replied later that day:

We had 250 of these bins across the city, and back in February, Mayor Adams and Commissioner Tisch announced that we would be placing an additional 150 bins in Manhattan, as Manhattan will be the last borough to receive curbside composting service (in October 2024).

Installation is ongoing, and we recently installed two bins on Roosevelt Island, one at Main Street and River Road, and one at Main Street and West Road. 

These bins can be accessed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with the NYC Compost smartphone app (App Store and Google Play). Residents can deposit all yard waste, kitchen waste and food-soiled paper, including meat and dairy, diverting all of these materials from landfill, where they would emit methane, a harmful greenhouse gas. The app is very simple to use – we encourage you to test it out!

I followed up:

Thanks for the info.

But why were they placed in such out of the way locations on Roosevelt Island?

There are locations that would be much more convenient for residents to use in the middle of the Island and near the subway area.

Received this reply from DSNY:

We will continue installing smart bins in the next few weeks, and we do expect to have one by the tram and subway.

Today, a Tipster spotted a DSNY Curbside Compost Bin at the Roosevelt Island Tram Station

and remarked:

Woooohoooo!!!. Fantastic!!!

We have been waiting for this almost 20 years. We're currently collecting our food scraps over the week and bringing them to the Farmers Market Haki Compost Collective on Saturdays. But these bins will make it so much easier and hopefully also motivate others.

The Claw has chosen the next Smart Composting Bin to hit the street!

250 Bins are already out & 150 more will be ready to collect all your food scraps (meat & dairy, too) VERY SOON!

Find & open a bin with the app:
iOS: https://t.co/rD73YmPV1b
Android: https://t.co/Cp8aNGS0IR pic.twitter.com/1NmKQvKNf5

— NYC Sanitation (@NYCSanitation) June 12, 2023

Roosevelt Island and Upper East Side NYC Council Member Julie Menin tweets:

In early June, I wrote to DSNY Commish Tisch, advocating for enhanced recycling + composting and the response was swift as the bins were installed in <2 weeks! My letter cited strong support from @girlscoutsnyc Troop 3138, affiliated with P.S. 183, and @TheTownSchool students 2/3

— Julie Menin (@JulieMenin) June 16, 2023

 Learn more about NYC Food Scrap composting program from Gil Lopez of Big Reuse on Saturday July 1 at the Roosevelt Island Haki Food Scrap Bin.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Haki Compost Collective (@hakicompost)

Here's more about the DSNY Curbside Smart Compost Bins from this June 16 press release from Ms Menin's office:

Council Member Julie Menin is delighted to announce a successful collaboration with the Department of Sanitation to bring nearly 20 state-of-the-art “Smart” composting bins to the 5th New York City Council District. This is in addition to universal curbside composting service, coming to Manhattan in October 2024.

In early June, Council Member Menin wrote to DSNY Commissioner Jessica Tisch, advocating for enhanced recycling opportunities in the community as well as the installation of smart composting bins across her Council District. This request followed up Council Member Menin’s push to DSNY during the Sanitation Department’s Preliminary Budget Hearing to ensure the 5th Council District had adequate composting opportunities. The response from the DSNY was swift and robust as the bins were promptly installed in less than two weeks.

Menin’s letter cited the strong support of composting within her community including the advocacy of Girl Scouts Troop 3138, affiliated with P.S. 183, and the students at Town School. The local troop and Town School students wrote to the Council Member fervently advocating for more recycling and composting opportunities within the neighborhood.

The newly installed smart composting bins are diligently emptied on a regular basis, with the resulting food scraps thoughtfully utilized to enhance the beauty of green spaces across the city. These bins are among 150 being installed in Manhattan below 96th St, which will bring the total to 400 citywide.

Accessible 24/7, these innovative bins can be conveniently located via the NYC Compost app, available for both iOS and Android users. To unlock the smart composting bin, you must be in reach and use the unlock button in the app. Unlike community composting sites, which may only be open a few hours each week, the Bins are available 24/7, allowing District 5 residents to use them any time that works for them.

Designed to accept a wide range of organic materials, including food scraps, plant waste, and food-soiled paper, the smart composting bins serve as a sustainable solution for disposing of items such as meat, bones, dairy, prepared foods, and greasy, uncontaminated paper plates and pizza boxes. The organic materials can be placed in bags to minimize mess such as plastic, paper, and compostable bags. However, recyclable materials, animal waste, trash, paper packaging, and personal hygiene products are not accepted.

The bins have been installed at:

BIN 265 - SW CO 2nd Avenue and 86th Street

BIN 266 - NW CO 2nd Ave and 82nd Street

BIN 267- NE CO 1st Avenue and 91st Street

BIN 268 - SE CO 2nd Avenue and 72nd Street

BIN 269 - NE CO E 66th St and 1st Ave

BIN 270 - SW CO 83rd and East End

BIN 271 - NW CO 1st Avenue and 88th St

BIN 272 - NW CO 2nd Avenue and 95th st

BIN 273 - NW CO 3rd Avenue and E 95th St

BIN 274 - SE CO E 92nd St and 2 Avenue

BIN 275 - NE CO 1st Ave and E 76th Street

BIN 276 - SE CO 79th Street and York Avenue

BIN 277 - SW CO 3rd Ave and East 88

BIN 278 - SW CO West Road and Main Street

BIN 279 - SW CO Main Street and River Road

BIN 286 - NE CO 2 Avenue and 76th Street

and from the DSNY. 

UPDATE 6/26 - I asked DSNY:

Where does the compost material from the Bins go?

DSNY spokesperson replied:

Material from Smart Composting Bins goes to either DSNY’s Staten Island Compost Facility or to an anaerobic digester like the ones at Newtown Creek in Brooklyn, becoming either usable compost or renewable energy.