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|  Staten Island
Why a separate collection for spring yard waste on Staten Island? The NYC Department of Sanitation (DSNY) needs to recycle more of our organic waste to meet the City’s goals for reducing NYC’s waste. Compared to other waste, yard waste is easy for residents to keep separate and it’s easy for DSNY to compost at the Fresh Kills Composting Site. As mandated in NYC's Solid Waste Management Plan, DSNY first collected spring yard waste on Staten Island in 2007 as part of a pilot program to evaluate the effectiveness of collecting spring yard waste for composting. 2008 will be the second year that DSNY tests the feasibility of doing a separate composting collection of spring yard waste on Staten Island.
When will spring yard waste be collected for composting on Staten Island? Starting May 1, save your yard waste for Department of Sanitation composting collection. DSNY will pick up yard waste during the weeks of May 18–24 and June 1–7 on your regular recycling collection day after 4pm (a later shift than regular recycling collection). All yard waste must be set out in either paper lawn & leaf bags or unlined rigid containers for composting collection.
back to top Why isn't yard waste collected for composting all the time? It saves taxpayer dollars to efficiently collect, in as few trips as possible, the bulk of leaf and yard waste produced. That’s why DSNY does separate composting collections in the fall (for leaves from districts with a lot of trees) and spring (for Staten Island yard waste).
Why can’t yard waste be set out in plastic bags during the Staten Island spring yard waste collection period? During DSNY composting collection periods, residents are required to set out leaf and yard waste in either unlined rigid containers or paper lawn and leaf bags. Unlike plastic, paper bags decompose along with yard waste; yielding higher quality compost with no plastic shreds.
What will happen if I use plastic bags for my yard waste? Staten Island residents who set out yard waste in plastic bags from May 1 through June 7 can be fined for violating DSNY composting regulations. At other times (before May 1 and after June 7) plastic bags may be used for spring yard waste since it is collected and discarded as garbage.
Why doesn’t the City provide free paper lawn and leaf bags? NYC doesn’t supply bins or bags for recycling, composting, or trash.
Where can I purchase paper lawn and leaf bags?
Paper lawn and leaf bags can be purchased at various retailers. Below is a list of retailers on Staten Island that sell paper lawn and leaf bags. For online retailers, search for “paper lawn and leaf bags”. Please note: Our mention of these retailers does not constitute an endorsement of their services. If you find any outdated information, or would like to suggest additional listings, please contact us.
In sections of northwestern Staten Island that are under Federal and State quarantine for the invasive Asian Longhorned Beetle, you must contact Parks Department to collect and chip your tree prunings and firewood. If your area is not affected by this program, bundle tree prunings (no more than 2 feet high and 4 feet long) and place with yard waste for composting collection.
What is Sanitation doing to promote the 2008 spring yard waste composting pilot? DSNY's efforts to inform Staten Island residents of the Spring 2008 Yard Waste Composting Pilot include the following:
What were the results of the 2007 Spring Yard Waste Composting Pilot? As mandated in NYC's Solid Waste Management Plan , DSNY first collected spring yard waste on Staten Island in 2007 as part of a pilot program to evaluate the effectiveness of collecting spring yard waste for composting. Over the course of the 2007 pilot, DSNY collected for composting a total of 380 tons (out of a potential 3,000 tons estimated to be present in the waste stream). Because trucks drove long routes but still returned to the garage less than full, costs per ton averaged four times higher than regular recycling collection. For more detailed results, see the 2007 Spring Yard Waste Composting Pilot Summary. Nevertheless, the 2007 Staten Island Spring Yard Waste Composting Pilot was a good first time effort. Due to its suburban profile, Staten Island traditionally generates the most yard waste of any borough. For this reason, and also because composting site capacity is heavily constrained outside of Staten Island, Sanitation decided not to conduct spring yard waste collections in the other boroughs in 2008. The goal of the 2008 Pilot is to determine whether participation rates will improve as the program (and the requirement to use paper lawn and leaf bags) becomes more routine for Staten Islanders.
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The NYC Department of Sanitation does not provide bags or bins for recycling, composting, or garbage.
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