The New York City Council voted on July 1 to require every business that generates food or yard waste to separate it for composting, according to a Department of Sanitation press release. The move expands a requirement that has applied to all city residents for years but had covered only some businesses under rules the agency described as “confusing and outdated.”
The bill, Intro 31, authorizes DSNY to extend what the agency calls the nation’s largest mandatory curbside composting program to all commercial properties that produce organic waste. The previous rules were unclear about which businesses had to comply and which were exempt. DSNY cited that confusion as a reason for the change.
The switch may also save businesses money. Under New York City’s Commercial Waste Zone program, businesses pay less for composting collection than for regular trash pickup. Businesses sending food waste to garbage collection could pay less by composting instead.








