Sanitation Spring Cleaning Events

Recycling, donating, and helping the Environment

By John J. Doherty, Commissioner of Sanitation

New York City and garbage… here are some mind-boggling numbers: The city’s more than 8 million residents currently generate 12,000 tons of refuse a day.  By the year 2030, the population is estimated to reach 9.1 million. This could result in thousands extra tons of refuse and further impact on the environment … unless we do something about it.  The first important step is to start reducing, reusing and recycling. 

With spring around the corner, soon New Yorkers will head to the stores to buy new clothes and perhaps the latest electronic gadgets.  And at the same time, they’ll have to decide what to do with the stuff they no longer want.  Throwing it all out would be a real waste, especially when it can be recycled or donated. But there’s no need to worry; Sanitation is here to help! 

Our upcoming Spring Cleaning events, scheduled in March, April and May, will give New Yorkers the opportunity to discard unwanted items in an easy, environmentally responsible way, so that they can recycle unwanted electronics; donate lightly worn clothing; get unlimited amounts of high-quality compost at two event sites, absolutely for free; and feel good about doing the right thing!  A great deal all the way around!

Sanitation Spring cleaning events will be held, rain or shine, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the following weekends at the sites listed below:

Our Spring Cleaning recycling and donation events will be made possible by the following Sanitation sponsors and partners:

• NYC Compost Project will provide compost outreach and education to New York City residents, community groups and landscapers in all five boroughs.

Note: Free Compost -- a natural soil enhancer– and compost bins (at greatly discounted prices) will only be available to New York City residents (sorry, no businesses).  Residents should bring shovels and sturdy containers to take away compost. A front-end loader will be onsite to fill pickup trucks.  Those who want their pickup trucks filled must bring a tarp to cover the compost for transport. Remember: Only vehicles registered to NYC addresses will be allowed to pick up compost. No commercial vehicles will be allowed

• Goodwill Industries of Greater New York and Northern New Jersey, Inc. will receive donated clothing and linen.

• Lower East Side Ecology Center, with partial funding from Con Edison will process dropped off electronics. Cell phones collected during these events will benefit survivors of domestic violence through a program of the Mayor’s Office to Combat Domestic Violence. For more information visit www.nyc.gov/domesticviolence.   

Note: New Yorkers may bring up to five (5) pieces of old or non-working electronic equipment.  Computer equipment, TVs, DVD/VCRs and cell phones of all makes and models will be accepted.

• NYC Department of Parks and Recreation, the Prospect Park Alliance, and St. John’s University will be our site partners.

If you can’t make it to our Spring Cleaning events, you may recycle and donate your unwanted items in the manner indicated below:

If you wish to recycle Electronics, visit www.nyc.gov/wasteless/electronics to learn of other upcoming events or manufacturer-sponsored take-back programs. 

If you wish to donate lightly used clothing, linens and other household items in good condition, you may contact your local thrift stores or nonprofit organizations. For information on where to donate, see: www.nyc.gov/stuffexchange. 

For more information, maps and driving directions to the events, visit www.nyc.gov/wasteless, or call 311.
Recycling and donating your unwanted items represents a great step forward in protecting the city’s environment.  

In the words of Time magazine’s popular quote: “Don’t blow it – good planets are hard to find,” to which I’d like to add: “And so are great cities…!”