Amid MASSIVE Increase in Food and Yard Waste Collected, DSNY Opens Third Site - in Astoria - to Distribute Free Compost to Residents
April 16, 2025
As part of universal curbside composting program, DSNY making it even easier for residents to pick up 'black gold' for their gardens
Responding to overwhelming demand and to record amounts of compostable material collected, the New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) announced the opening of a new compost distribution site. Beginning next week, residents can pick up a free 40-pound bag of compost from a 77-28 19th Avenue in Astoria – in addition to existing sites in Brooklyn and Staten Island.
The Queens Compost Giveback Site will operate Wednesdays from 5 to 7 pm and Saturdays from 8 to 10 am beginning April 23 and running through Sept. 27. Residents must pre-register online at nyc.gov/getcompost. Registration opens two weeks before each event.
"The amount of compost collected from City residents skyrocketed this spring, with the Department collecting more than 2.5 million pounds in one week alone," said Acting Sanitation Commissioner Javier Lojan. "New Yorkers are setting out their food and yard waste at the curb, and we are thrilled to return it to them as finished compost."
DSNY expanded Curbside Composting to all five boroughs last October, making it the largest – and easiest – curbside composting program in the nation. Rather than shipping this material hundreds of miles away to break down in landfills and emit methane, the Department of Sanitation is putting it to beneficial use for New York City, creating either finished compost for parks and gardens or renewable energy that heats homes and businesses while reducing the need for fracked gas.
DSNY also operates Wednesday evening and Saturday morning giveback sites in Greenpoint and Fresh Kills, as well as nearly two dozen community pop-up events throughout the five boroughs. In addition, the Department gives free compost and mulch to NYC agencies and nonprofits for their programs, construction, or landscaping projects. Commercial landscapers and other businesses can purchase compost in bulk.
These bags of finished compost – certified by the US Composting Council Seal of Testing Assurance program – are made from food and yard waste at DSNY's Staten Island Compost Facility. The recently expanded facility has produced about 42 million pounds of finished compost per year over the last several years. After a 2024 expansion, it can now process more than 200 million pounds of incoming material per year.