NYC Department of Sanitation
2006 Spring Cleaning Events
Get free compost and discounted compost bins!
Recycle your electronics!
Dontate clothing and linens!
When and Where
Sponsors & Partners
Get Free Compost and Discounted Compost Bins
NYC residents (sorry, no businesses) can receive unlimited amounts of free, high-quality compost (a natural soil enhancer).
Bring a shovel and sturdy containers to take away compost. If you want your pickup truck filled, bring a tarp to cover the compost for transport. (Only vehicles registered to NYC addresses can pick up compost. No commercial vehicles allowed.)
NYC residents can also purchase discounted compost bins for $20 to make their own compost.
For info on the uses of compost, check out “using your compost” on the New York City Compost Project website
See info on when and where.
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Recycle Your Electronics
Drop off your unwanted electronics for recycling:
- computers & laptops
- monitors & printers
- scanners, keyboards & mice
- TVs, cell phones
We won't accept other kinds of electronics. NYC residents (no businesses allowed*) may drop off material (limit five pieces per vehicle).
All dropped off items will be recycled through contracted vendors; no scavenging will be permitted. Electronics contain hazardous materials, such as lead, mercury, arsenic, and cadmium. Recycling your unwanted electronic equipment keeps these hazardous materials out of the waste stream and the environment.
Manhattan Electronics Recycling Event:
Sunday April 23, 2006; 9am - 3pm (rain or shine)
Union Square North Plaza (southeast corner of 17th St. and Broadway).
The NYC Department of Sanitation is sponsoring this event through the assistance of the Lower East Side Ecology Center (212-477-4022, www.lesecologycenter.org) and the support of Con Edison.
For info on other electronics recycling events, see when and where below. (If you can't make these events, check out other alternatives for donating or recycling your electronic equipment.)
* Businesses and institutions (if not donating or selling unwanted equipment) are required by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to dispose of computer equipment through a recycling vendor.
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Donate Clothing and Linens
Drop off your gently used clothing and linens for donation:
- Clothing: pants, dresses, shirts, sweaters, shoes, handbags, belts
- Linen: blankets, towels, sheets, curtains, tablecloths
Only donate clean, gently used clothing and linens. Place donated items in clear plastic bags and tie securely to avoid moisture contamination. Tax-deduction receipts will be available upon request.
See info on when and where. (If you can't make it to these events, donate unwanted clothing and other household items in good condition to local thrift stores or nonprofit organizations.)
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When & Where (rain or shine)
Except for the Manhattan electronics recycling event, the compost givebacks, electronics recycling, and clothing/linen donation events are all being held concurrently on Saturdays and Sundays at the composting facilities operated by the NYC Department of Sanitation.
Spring Creek Composting Facility: April 8 & 9, April 22 & 23
Soundview Composting Facility: May 6 & 7
Fresh Kills Composting Facility: May 20 & 21
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Spring Creek Composting Facility
near the Brooklyn/Queens border
12720-B Flatlands Ave., Brooklyn, 11208
(near the intersection with Fountain Ave,
close to the Belt Parkway)

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Sat & Sun, 8am - 2pm
April 8 & 9
April 22 & 23
Driving directions from the Belt Parkway:Take Exit 15 (Erskine St.) • at 1st traffic light on Erskine, turn RIGHT onto Gateway Dr. • go to the end of the road, turn LEFT onto Fountain Ave. • go to 2nd traffic light, turn RIGHT onto Flatlands Ave. • go to end of the block and turn RIGHT into the Spring Creek Composting Facility.
Driving directions from the Jackie Robinson (Interborough) Parkway: Take the Jackie Robinson (South/West) to Exit 1 (bear left) • follow signs for Pennsylvania Ave. • take Pennsylvania approx. 2 miles to Flatlands Ave. • turn LEFT onto Flatlands Ave. • go approx. 1.2 miles to the end of the block past Fountain Ave. • turn RIGHT into the Spring Creek Composting Facility.
Public transit info:
NYC.gov or hopstop
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Soundview Composting Facility
1665 Randall Ave., Bronx, 10473
(near the intersection with Metcalf Ave,
close to the Bruckner Expressway)

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Sat & Sun, 8am - 2pm
May 6 & 7
Driving directions from the Bruckner Expressway: Take the Bruckner Expressway (East) to Exit 51 (Bronx River Parkway North/White Plains) • take Service Road (Bruckner Blvd.) • go past shopping center and past Bronx River Parkway • turn RIGHT onto Soundview Ave. • stay on Soundview to 5th traffic light • turn RIGHT onto Randall Ave. • stay on Randall to the end, follow signs for Composting Facility.
Driving directions from the Bronx River Parkway (southbound): Take Exit 1 (Story Ave.) • at light, turn LEFT onto Story • go to 2nd traffic light, turn RIGHT onto Soundview Ave. • stay on Soundview to 4th traffic light • turn RIGHT onto Randall Ave. • stay on Randall to the end, follow signs for Composting Facility.
Public transit info:
NYC.gov or hopstop |
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Fresh Kills Composting Facility
310 West Service Rd., Staten Island, 10314
(near exit 7 of Rt. 440)

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Sat & Sun, 8am - 2pm
May 20 & 21
Driving directions from I-278 (West): Take Exit 5 (SR 440-Pearl Harbor Memorial Expressway) towards Rt. 440/Outerbridge Crossing • take Rt. 440 South to Exit 7 (Victory Blvd) • at light, go straight (road becomes West Service Rd.) • go past car dealership on right • stop at entrance to the landfill across from the New York Sports Club • once inside the landfill, follow signs to the Composting Facility.
Public transit info:
NYC.gov or hopstop
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Sponsors & Partners
These events are funded by the NYC Department of Sanitation with the
participation of the following organizations:
NYC Compost Project (www.nyccompost.org)
a DSNY-funded program to provide compost outreach and education to NYC residents that is run through the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, the Lower East Side Ecology Center, The New York Botanical Garden, the Queens Botanical Garden, and the Staten Island Botanical Garden.
Goodwill Industries of Greater New York and Northern New Jersey, Inc.
The Salvation Army Greater New York Division
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