What is CompostingThe average New York City household throws out
over two pounds of food waste per day, amounting to over 3,000
tons of organic matter that must be trucked off to distant
landfills. In a landfill, organic matter breaks down in the
absence of oxygen, creating methane, a powerful greenhouse gas,
which together with transportation impacts contribute to climate
change. Composting recognizes biodegradable materials, such as
food waste, as a renewable resource that allows us to close the
natural cycle -- returning vital nutrients back to the soil, to
nourish the earth and to green our City. By recycling food waste
we are producing the very material that supports the growth of
life itself: the earth! The Ecology Center runs a Community
Compost Program, collecting kitchen scraps through an innovative
drop off and processing program, as well as the NYC Compost
Project in Manhattan, a compost education program, which teaches
New Yorkers how to compost at home or in community gardens.
Through these progr