Composting

FACT SHEET OVERVIEW

Compost utilization in urban farms is a vital aspect of building and maintaining healthy soil as it adds to organic matter, micronutrients, and beneficial microorganisms to the soil.  There are many ways to incorporate compost and composting systems into urban agriculture efforts. This fact sheet breaks down useful information for composting in an urban setting such as laws and regulations that impact composting statewide and specific to urban centers, as well as helpful resources and alternative methods of composting to pursue.

Tips for Urban Composting

Information about composting is widely available, including private or municipal composting services, but urban farmers producing their own compost must keep certain considerations in mind:

  • Urban farmers may not have the space available to produce enough compost to meet their needs, and might consider seeking donated or purchased compost from other sources;
  • Urban compost bins must be contained, aesthetically pleasing, and well-managed so as to prevent odors and minimize disturbance to neighbors; and
  • Consider compost bins that are “rodent resistant” to prevent infestation by rats, mice and other animals.  These include bins with openings no larger than ¼ inch. Bottoms should be lined with rodent screens, wire mesh or hardware cloth, again with no openings larger than ¼ inch.  However, proper and careful management of any type of compost bin can eliminate the risk of attracting rodents.

Tapping the Urban Waste Stream

Restaurants, grocers, convenience stores, coffee shops, customers and neighbors are all great sources of waste for compost production and urban farmers can benefit from establishing regular pick-up or drop-off routines from these or other businesses and institutions.

New York City Composting Laws

In New York state, there are guidelines for what can and can’t be composted at home. The “cannots” include meat, fish, poultry, bones, or fatty foods, dairy products, cat litter or dog feces, or plants that spread through stems (rhizomes) or roots. The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation maintains a map of NYS food scraps drop off programs and collection services as well as provides troubleshooting tips for compost maintenance.

A permit is required for all agricultural composters who accept off-site food scraps. Some non-food materials – crop residues or animal manure, for example – may be exempt from the permit requirement. Facilities may be exempt when facilities do not produce vectors, dust or odors that may impact neighbors, when waste does not remain on-site for more than 36 months, or when an owner-operator holds only one facility on the property. A facility may be exempt from permitting if the facility accepts between 3,000 and 10,000 cubic yards of yard trimmings per year, or between 5,000 cubic yards or 2,500 wet tons of source-separated organics (SSOs) per year. A composting facility for road-killed animals or for digestate may also be exempt, as determined by the NYSDEC.

Composters who do not qualify for exemption must submit an application for a permit which includes detailed information about the facility and drainage systems, processing and storage areas, access roads, pre- and post-processing methods, and the dimensions of any windrows on the property.

For more information, please see NYSDEC.

New York City Composting Resources

Curbside Composting was recently expanded to reach all residents across New York City. While the NYC Compost Project, New York City’s largest and longest-running community compost program, has had major changes in funding, there are a handful of community-based organizations working to continue providing collection services and other compost-related resources. These organizations comprise the recently initiated “NYC Compost Collective” and include Big Reuse, BK Rot, Cafeteria Culture, Compost Power, Earth Matter, East New York Farms, the Brotherhood Sister Sol, the Red Hook Initiative, GrowNYC, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, NYBG’s Bronx Green-Up, Queens Botanical Garden, and the Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden.

Visit ShareWaste for composting sites around the city.

For information about curbside composting in NYC, visit the NYC Department of Sanitation website.

Each of these sites also provides general information and resources about composting in urban environments, helpful for any city farmer looking to produce his or her own compost.

Other Resources

The Cornell Waste Management Institute provides information and links to relevant resources on composting, including small-scale composting. Their website includes a list of composting facilities across New York State. The Cornell Composting Website provides specific information pertaining to composting; links to fact sheets, resources on the science and engineering of compost, and composting in schools.
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County offers composting classes and workshops, as well as a ten-session Master Composter training, in Ithaca.  Those interested can find more information and apply for the Master Composter training online. This website also includes composting resources such as “how-to” factsheets and videos.

Farmer Pirates Compost– A worker owned co-op located in Buffalo that works to operate a compost site.

McEnroe Organic Farm– composts organic waste from farmers. Located in Millerton, NY but collects compost from various parts of the state.

CNY Compost– Located in Central New York, CNY Compost works to support community composting for those located in the following zip codes: 13152, 13108, and 13021.

The Institute for Local Self-Reliance has a report entitled “Growing Local Fertility: A Guide to Community Composting” which provides tips and resources for operating successful community initiatives.

Worm Composting

Worm composting, also known as vermicomposting, requires significantly less space than traditional composting and keeps food scraps, which attract rodents or animals, out of the compost bin.  As such, worm composting is well suited to smaller urban farming operations.

For information about worm composting, visit the Cornell Waste Management Institute website, which provides links to many relevant resources, and Cornell University’s worm composting page, which provides information on how to build and use your own worm composting bin.  Commercial worm composting bins are readily available for purchase online.

Applying compost to urban gardens

Urban farmers should be able to use organic fertilizers, such as fish emulsion and manure, and take care to prevent runoff into sewage systems. In the case of odorous fertilizers, urban farmers should carry out applications at times when it will be of minimal disturbance to neighbors.

« Previous Post
Cover Cropping

A cover crop is any species planted primarily for soil health, weed, pest or disease suppression, increased biodiversity, or other ecosystem benefits. This fact sheet provides general information on the […]

Next Post »
Waste Management

There are various regulations and codes that impact the disposal of waste in urban environments. This sheet provides a basic overview of resources and guidelines for handling waste generated from […]