SEATTLE (Recycling Monster): A bill that directs the New York City Department of Sanitation to roll out a mandatory organics collection program for residents became law on Saturday without a signature from Mayor Eric Adams.

The bill was passed by a veto-proof majority of the New York City Council on June 8 in a package dubbed the Zero Waste Act. Sponsored by Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and Sanitation Committee Chair Sandy Nurse, among others, the package included a range of measures to overhaul the city’s waste collection. Local bills can become law without action from the mayor after 30 days.

Intro. 244-A, introduced by Council Member Shahana Hanif, makes residential organics collection participation mandatory for all New York City residents come October 2024. It builds on a voluntary pilot program that has been available in select areas in Queens and Brooklyn and was slated to roll out city-wide on the same timeline.

“With the passage of the Zero Waste Act, the New York City Council has taken a critical step forward to achieving the sustainable future New Yorkers deserve,” Speaker Adrienne Adams said in a statement following the bill’s passage on June 8. “Through increased access to composting and recycling sites, all New Yorkers will now be able to participate more equitably in our collective goal of diverting all recyclables and organic waste from landfills and incinerators by 2023.”

The package also includes a goal to divert 100% of recyclable waste from landfills or incinerators by 2030. Other provisions require DSNY to establishing additional recycling and organic waste drop-off sites around the city.

As written, the bill would have required DSNY to develop an implementation plan to submit to the council by July 1, a deadline that came and went prior to the bill becoming law. On Monday, the agency circulated a proposed rule to update regulations in light of the new law. New rules would make yard waste separation mandatory year round and allows it to be set out in clear plastic bags. The update also prohibits yard waste from being commingled with organic waste in paper bags.

DSNY is accepting written public comments on the rule until Aug. 10. It also scheduled a public hearing to receive feedback on the rule on the same day. 

Courtesy: www.wastedive.com