Recycling




NYCHA is committed to making buildings and grounds visibly clean and pest-free by 2025. To achieve this goal, NYCHA must raise its recycling rate, since recyclables make up more than 1/3 of NYCHA’s waste stream. Providing educational materials to residents is a critical piece of improving our recycling rate. Click on the headings below for more information on how to recycle different materials.


What to Recycle in the Blue and Green Bins?

NYCHA’s recycling is collected by New York Department of Sanitation (DSNY) in the outdoor blue and green containers.

To allow for more space:

  • Flatten cardboard boxes
  • Crush aluminum cans
  • Flatten empty plastic bottles and recap

For items that don’t fit in the blue and green bin, you can leave them neatly next to the bins for caretakers to collect and store until recycling collection day. Check out the full list of recyclable items to place in the blue and green bins here.


How to Sort and Store Recycling in Your Home

Did you know that 75% of the items we use every day can be recycled? Do you have a recycling storage system set up in your apartment?

  • Empty and rinse: before storing, please empty and rinse all metal, glass, and plastic recyclables especially cartons containing food. This prevents odors, mold, and pests!
  • Sort and store: consider using a paper bag to store your paper items and reusable shopping bag to store plastic containers. Additionally, small color-coded baskets/bins can be used for easy cleaning.

How to Reduce Your Waste

Think before you buy! Reducing the amount of waste we create in the first place is a great start. Look at the items you purchase and ask yourself:

  • Is the packaging on this item recyclable?
  • How long will this item last?
  • Is there a better option that will last longer and save money in the long run?

How to Reuse Unwanted Items

Think about giving your items another life by allowing someone else to reuse them before tossing them. You could either donate or sell your items!

Donate – check out donateNYC to explore drop-off options for your donation items or check out these locations for clothing and textile drop-offs.

Sell – check out marketplaces on different social media platforms to buy, sell, or trade your gently used items.

How to recycle electronics – eCycleNYC

Did you know that electronics have heavy metals in them which are bad for the environment when thrown out in the trash? DSNY makes it easy for you to dispose of electronics safely and legally. Learn more about their programs and convenient drop-off locations to get rid of your old laptop, television, cell phones, and more.

Please never dispose of electronics in the recycling.

How to recycle textiles – refashionNYC

Recycling old clothes, shoes, accessories, bedding, towels, and more has never been easier in NYC! Find nearby textile drop-off locations here.

How to recycle mattresses and box springs

NYCHA is paving the way for repurposing mattress components by providing a pickup service for discarded mattresses. If you leave out bagged mattresses or box springs for staff, they will place them in a special container to be recycled.

The following sites are currently receiving Mattress Recycling services:

  • Albany II
  • Astoria
  • Baisley Park
  • Bay View
  • Beach 41st Street – Beach Channel Drive
  • Berry
  • Borinquen Plaza I
  • Breukelen
  • Brevoort
  • Carey Gardens
  • Dyckman
  • Forest
  • Grant
  • Hammel
  • Kingsborough
  • Latimer Gardens
  • Marble Hill
  • Mariner’s Harbor
  • Marlboro
  • Mitchel
  • Morris I
  • Mott Haven
  • Pomonok Houses
  • Queensbridge South
  • Rangel
  • Ravenswood
  • Redfern
  • Richmond Terrace
  • Roosevelt I
  • South Beach
  • South Jamaica I
  • Stapleton
  • Taylor Street-Wythe Avenue
  • Throggs Neck
  • Todt Hill
  • Wagner
  • West Brighton I
  • Whitman
  • Woodside

How to recycle organics

Drop-off composting is one way residents can reduce their food and garden waste and put it to good use, instead of being sent to a landfill.

  • There are 10 NYCHA farm and compost sites that process food scraps on-site! If you live at one of these NYCHA sites, you can drop off your food scraps for composting:
    • Astoria
    • Bay View
    • Forest
    • Howard
    • Mariner’s Harbor
    • Patterson
    • Pink
    • Polo Grounds (Compost Only)  
    • Red Hook West (Not currently accepting food scraps, check Red Hook Initiative site for updates)
    • Wagner

The compost drop-offs above are located at farm sites unless listed as “Compost Only.” Pink Houses’ farm is managed by United Community Centers . Red Hook West is managed by the Red Hook Initiative. All other farms and compost systems are managed by Green City Force and Compost Power.   

  • NYCHA also participates in New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) organics program. If you live at one of these NYCHA sites, you can drop off your food scraps in bins collected by Department of Sanitation using an app on your phone. Find the most updated list of locations here.

Click here for FAQs about NYCHA sites participating in DSNY’s brown bin and Smart Bin programs.

What Happens to Your Recycling?

After NYCHA’s recycling from the blue and green bins are collected by the New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY), they bring the recyclables to a facility that uses machines and people power to sort and bale the recyclables.

Play the video below to learn more about what happens to your recycling!