For First Time Ever, New Yorkers Diverted 6 Million Pounds of Compost from Landfill Last Week — SECOND RECORD-SETTING WEEK IN A ROW!

November 19, 2025

With easy-to-use program, residents are turning millions of pounds of food and yard waste into compost and renewable energy

The New York City Department of Sanitation announced today that residents have smashed composting records two weeks in a row, separating and setting out more than 6 million pounds of food and yard waste last week alone, topping last week’s record of 5.9 million pounds. The success of the nation’s largest and easiest curbside composting program shows that if you make it easy for New Yorkers to fight rats and help the environment, they will do it week after week.

DSNY picks up ALL leaf and yard waste, food scraps and food-soiled paper from every resident on recycling day. This includes meat, bones, shells, dairy, cooked foods, and even greasy uncoated paper plates and pizza boxes. No sign-up is required, and residents can use any bin 55 gallons or less with a secure lid, with or without a paper, compostable or clear plastic liner.

Material collected in DSNY's curbside composting program is either turned into finished compost for parks and gardens, or into renewable energy to heat local homes and businesses reducing the need for fracked gas. This year alone, DSNY gave away more than 8 million pounds of finished compost to residents through a network of four regular giveback sites and dozens of popup events across the five boroughs.

Since curbside composting went citywide last October, Staten Islanders have produced the most compostable material per capita – roughly 1 pound per person, per week – while Queens residents have produced the most compostable material overall, more than 61 million pounds total in the first year.

The 6,025,480 pounds of material collected during the week of November 9 to 15 tops the 5.9 million pounds collected during the previous week. These totals smashed previous records set in the spring:

• During the second week of April, the Department collected nearly 3.6 million pounds of compost, more than three times what was collected at the same time last year and, at the time, the highest level of separated compostable material collected curbside in the City's history.
• That record was broken by the third week, at 4.5 million pounds, a 400% increase over the same time the year before.
• That record was broken by the fourth week, at 5.24 million pounds, a 500% increase over the same time the year before.
• And New Yorkers broke that record during the week of May 18 to 24, when they set out 5.4 million pounds of compostable material.

With leaf season well underway, DSNY reminds New Yorkers that extra leaf and yard waste can be put in a paper lawn and leaf bag or clear plastic bag. Twigs and branches can be bundled with twine and placed next to bins and bags.

For more information, visit nyc.gov/curbsidecomposting.

About the New York City Department of Sanitation

The Department of Sanitation (DSNY) keeps New York City clean, safe, and healthy by collecting, recycling, and disposing of waste, cleaning streets, attacking the scourge of illegal dumping, and clearing snow and ice. The Department operates 59 district garages and manages a fleet of more than 2,000 rear-loading collection trucks, 450 mechanical brooms, 705 salt spreaders, and several dozen bike lane operations machines. Under the Adams Administration, the Department is aggressively cleaning more parts of the City than ever before, including over 1,000 long-ignored areas spread across every neighborhood. With the highest wintertime uniformed headcount in 20 years, DSNY is more equipped than ever to remove snow and ice from the approximately 19,000 lane-miles of City streets.