QUESTION
What steps is the NYC Department of Sanitation taking to ensure compost is not mixed with standard waste?
0:53:33
·
111 sec
The NYC Department of Sanitation explains their hybrid collection approach and measures to prevent mixing of compost with standard waste due to contamination.
- A hybrid collection system will be implemented in 20 districts, separating refuse and organics within one truck.
- Contamination by residents may result in compost being mixed with standard waste, hence it's sometimes placed on the refuse side.
- The Department investigates incidents of compost and waste mixing upon receiving complaints.
- Council Member Hanif emphasizes the need for a citywide composting program, expressing concern over the handling of collected organic waste.
Shahana K. Hanif
0:53:33
So I've heard from constituents that they've seen DSNY trash trucks mistakenly taking compost from brown bins and mixing it in with standard waste.
0:53:46
What steps is the department taking to ensure operation collections are running smoothly and constituents aren't separating their organics for not.
Javier Lohan
0:53:59
So it it could be different issues here.
0:54:02
One of the things that, you know, may you may be finding is once we do a full rollout in October, there'll be 20 districts that are going to be using what we call our hybrid collection approach, meaning we collect the refuse and the organics in one truck, which is, you know, you might have seen it around.
0:54:19
It has two sides.
0:54:21
And one side, the refuse goes and the other side organics goes.
Shahana K. Hanif
0:54:23
But is it true that what what I'm hearing from my constituents is correct?
Javier Lohan
0:54:27
Well, I I was gonna say there may be instances so we we we don't wanna have our sanitation workers, you know, be the judge of, you know, somebody's waste.
0:54:38
A lot of times residents will you know, contaminate it.
0:54:41
And if it's heavily contaminated with refuse, we're not gonna tell them to put it on the organic side.
0:54:46
We'll put it on the refuse side.
0:54:47
So it could be that instances that they might find there would be contamination in there, and that's what you'll see them put them in the in the review side.
Sandy Nurse
0:54:54
I see.
Ryan Merola
0:54:54
Remember if I could answer the first deputy commissioner?
0:54:57
When we do get instances like this, candidly, I'm not personally familiar yet with a consentual complaint like that, but we do investigate it.
0:55:04
So if we could connect words and understand the routes that you were seeing, we will take a look.
Shahana K. Hanif
0:55:07
I really appreciate that.
0:55:09
And I wanna be clear that the intent of my bill was to establish a city wide composting program, not a city wide anaerobic digestion program.
0:55:18
I'm concerned that such a large percentage of collected organic waste is not actually being composted.
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How does the Department of Sanitation plan to prevent private waste haulers from mixing organic and non-organic waste, and what enforcement steps are taken against non-compliance?
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What are the NYC Department of Sanitation's plans for expanding compost processing capacity?
