NYC Mayoral Budget Cuts Force Haki Compost Collective To Suspend Roosevelt Island Food Scrap Drop Off Site After Tomorrow, December 16 - Haki Exploring Options For 2024 Return And Looking For Ideas

Tomorrow is the last day of the Roosevelt Island Haki Compost Collective Food Scrap collection drop off site for this year and for now, into next year.

At this time, it is not known if and when the site will return in 2024.

As reported last November 24:

... The Haki Compost Collective thanks you for dropping off your food scraps on Saturdays. Since November 2015, we have collectively diverted over 341,017 pounds of food scraps from landfill, or 170 tons, equivalent to 85 SUV's in weight!

Several dump truck loads of nutrient-rich compost have come back to the Island trees, flowers and gardens and been given back to neighbors for their house plants....

The Haki Compost Collective reports:

Dear Roosevelt Island community,

We have a few updates on the status of our food scrap drop-off site.

 

The mayoral budget cuts will end our direct partnership with Big Reuse, at least for the moment. The last day they will collect our material will be this Saturday, December 16. As per DSNY, all green toters need to be returned on that day.

Big Reuse, like all the community composting organizations, is trying to raise funds to continue composting at the Queensbridge site. Even if they are able to maintain the site, they do not know if they will be able to continue neighborhood collections. If you would like to donate to Big Reuse, our partners for the past 8 years, click here.

We don’t want to lose the NYC green bin program which is the only true food scraps-to-compost program. The sidewalk orange bins burn food scraps for energy. Their inefficiency has been at full display in city council hearings as well as in the media. While the fight to keep community composting is an uphill battle, it is not over yet. Please continue to:

• text the mayor at 212-909-2288
• and to email Justin Brennan, the Chair of the City Council Finance Committee at District43@council.nyc.gov or askjb@council.nyc.gov
• and our Council Member Julie Menin at District5@council.nyc.gov.

Haki Compost Collective volunteers are investigating alternative options if Big Reuse is unable to continue to pick up our food scraps. We are looking into

• hiring a hauler who could take the scraps to a farm upstate to be composted
• discussing with RIOC any options for composting
• talking with other community composter partners around the city about their plans.

If you have any leads or ideas, please contact us!

In the meantime, because nothing is certain and we do not have a concrete plan, we will announce the following at the Haki table on Saturday:

"Due to mayoral budget cuts that affect our partner Big Reuse, Haki must take a winter break to regroup. We are actively pursuing other options. Please provide your email to get updates in January. In the meantime, please put your food scraps in the orange bins by the tram, Manhattan Park, and the Octagon.

Thank you so much for your support through the years!"

Haki Compost Collective

Interested in volunteering with us? Email us at info@hakicompost.org

Follow us on Instagram @hakicompost

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Haki Compost Collective (@hakicompost)

Sign up here for Haki Compost email updates.

Fox 5 New York has more

on NYC budget cuts impacting composting programs.

UPDATE 12/16 - At least for now, today was the last day of the Roosevelt Island Haki Compost Collective Food Drop Off Site.

It was a sad day for the dedicated volunteers and composters.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Haki Compost Collective (@hakicompost)

Hopefully the Food Scrap Drop Off Site will return to Roosevelt Island in 2024.