Compost

Established in 2011, the GrowNYC Compost Program strives to make composting second-nature for all New Yorkers by operating residential Food Scrap Drop-off sites and partnering with community composting facilities to make compost locally. Part of a larger network of over 200 Food Scrap Drop-off sites in NYC, the GrowNYC Compost Program currently operates 52 food scrap drop-off sites serving 7 thousand regular weekly participants, diverting over 25 tons of food scraps from landfills each week. 

See below for updates on GrowNYC locations, and check the citywide map for more options.

You can support our work by donating here.


Sign Our Petition: 
We need your voice! Urge the Mayor to halt the elimination of community compost programs! 
Click Here to Sign.


Please see our list of what to bring and adhere to the drop-off schedule at each location (do not bring food scraps to closed sites). Food scraps cannot be accepted outside of stated open hours. All locations are year-round unless otherwise noted.

E-Newsletter

Sign up for Compost Schedule Alerts to receive emails about compost schedule updates in your borough.

In cases of severe weather, collections may close early or be cancelled.  Please drop early and check our blog or follow us on social media for schedule updates.

BOROUGH   LOCATION   DAY    COLLECTION SCHEDULES OPERATED BY   PROCESSING SITE  FLYER  
Bronx BronxWorks Carolyn McLaughlin Community Center
1130 Grand Concourse

Thursdays

9am-1:30pm  GrowNYC Staten Island Compost Facility Flyer
Bronx Fordham Plaza Food Scrap Drop-off
E Fordham Rd & 3rd Ave

Fridays

8:30am-11:30am GrowNYC Staten Island Compost Facility Flyer 
Bronx Lincoln Hospital Greenmarket
149th St b/t Park and Morris Aves
Closed for the season  Closed for the season  GrowNYC Staten Island Compost Facility Flyer coming soon
Bronx Morrisania Farmstand
McKinley Square at 169th St & Boston Rd
Thursdays 8:30am-1pm GrowNYC Staten Island Compost Facility Flyer
Bronx Mott Haven Food Scrap Drop-off
541 E 139th St
Thursdays 8am-12pm GrowNYC Staten Island Compost Facility Flyer
Bronx New Roots Community Farm
670 Grand Concourse

Fridays 

8am-12pm GrowNYC Staten Island Compost Facility Flyer
Bronx Norwood Farmstand
E Gun Hill Rd & Dekalb Ave
Thursdays 9:30am-2pm GrowNYC Staten Island Compost Facility Flyer
Bronx Parkchester Food Scrap Drop-off
Virginia Ave & Hugh Grant Circle

Fridays

7:30am-12:30pm GrowNYC Staten Island Compost Facility Flyer
Brooklyn 7th Ave Sunset Park Greenmarket
7th Ave & 44th St
Saturdays 8am-12:30pm GrowNYC Staten Island Compost Facility Flyer
Brooklyn Bay Ridge Greenmarket
3rd Ave & 95th Street
Saturdays 8am-1pm GrowNYC Staten Island Compost Facility Flyer
Brooklyn Bed-Stuy Farmstand
Decatur St and Lewis Ave

Fridays

7am-10:30am GrowNYC Staten Island Compost Facility Flyer 
Brooklyn Bensonhurst Greenmarket
18th Ave & 81st St
Sundays 9am-1:30pm GrowNYC Earth Matter NY Flyer
Brooklyn Brooklyn Borough Hall Greenmarket
Court St & Montague St
Saturdays 7:30am-12pm GrowNYC Staten Island Compost Facility Flyer 
Brooklyn Carroll Gardens Greenmarket
Smith St and 1st Pl
Sundays 8am-12pm GrowNYC Earth Matter NY Flyer
Brooklyn Cortelyou Greenmarket
Cortelyou Rd & Rugby Rd
Sundays 9am-1pm GrowNYC Queens Botanical Garden Flyer
Brooklyn Crown Heights Farmstand
Nostrand Ave and Crown St

Fridays

8am-1pm GrowNYC Staten Island Compost Facility Flyer
Brooklyn Crown Heights Franklin Ave Food Scrap Drop-off
Eastern Parkway & Franklin Ave

Fridays

8:30am-12:30pm GrowNYC Staten Island Compost Facility Flyer
Brooklyn Flatbush Junction Food Scrap Drop-off
Hillel Pl & Flatbush Ave

Sundays

10am-1:30pm GrowNYC Queens Botanical Garden Flyer
Brooklyn Ft. Greene Greenmarket
Washington Park & Willoughby Ave
Saturdays 8am-1pm GrowNYC Staten Island Compost Facility Flyer
Brooklyn

Grand Army Plaza Greenmarket
Flatbush Ave & Prospect Park W (Prospect Park entrance)

Saturdays 7:30am-3pm GrowNYC Staten Island Compost Facility Flyer
Brooklyn Kensington Food Scrap Drop-off
McDonald Ave & Albemarle Rd
Saturdays 8:30am-12pm GrowNYC Staten Island Compost Facility Flyer 
Brooklyn Leif Ericson Park Food Scrap Drop-off
Ft. Hamilton Parkway b/t 66 & 67th Sts.
Sundays 8:30am-12:30pm GrowNYC Earth Matter NY Flyer
Brooklyn McCarren Park Greenmarket
N 12th St and Driggs Ave
Saturdays 8am-12pm GrowNYC Staten Island Compost Facility Flyer
Brooklyn Newkirk Ave - Little Haiti Food Scrap Drop-off
Newkirk Ave & Nostrand Ave
Fridays 7:30am-1:30pm GrowNYC Staten Island Compost Facility Flyer
Brooklyn Wilson Ave Food Scrap Drop-off
Wilson Ave & Moffat St
Fridays 7:30am-11am GrowNYC Staten Island Compost Facility Flyer 
Manhattan 58th Street Library Food Scrap Drop-off
E 58th St b/t Park Ave and Lexington Ave
Wednesdays 7:30am-12:30pm GrowNYC Staten Island Compost Facility Flyer
Manhattan 79th St Greenmarket
77th St between Columbus Ave & Central Park West
Sundays 9am-3pm GrowNYC Earth Matter NY Flyer
Manhattan E 96th Street Food Scrap Drop-off
East 96th St & Lexington Ave

Fridays

7:30am-11am GrowNYC Staten Island Compost Facility Flyer
Manhattan 97th Street Greenmarket
W 97th & Amsterdam

Fridays
 

8am-11:30am GrowNYC Staten Island Compost Facility Flyer
Manhattan 145th St Food Scrap Drop-off
145th St & Edgecombe Ave
Thursdays 8:30am-1pm GrowNYC Staten Island Compost Facility Flyer
Manhattan 181st Street Food Scrap Drop-off
181st St & Fort Washington Ave

Thursdays

8am-1:30pm

GrowNYC Staten Island Compost Facility Flyer
Manhattan Abingdon Square Greenmarket
W12th St & 8th Ave
Saturdays 7:30am-12pm GrowNYC Staten Island Compost Facility Flyer 
Manhattan Abyssinian Tot Lot Food Scrap Drop-Off
130 W 139th Street
Saturdays 7:30am-12pm GrowNYC Staten Island Compost Facility Flyer
Manhattan Asphalt Green Food Scrap Drop-off
East 91st St & York Ave
Sundays 7:30am-12:30pm GrowNYC Earth Matter NY Flyer
Manhattan Columbia University Greenmarket
116th St & Broadway
Sundays 8am-12pm GrowNYC Earth Matter NY Flyer 
Manhattan Dag Hammarskjold Plaza Greenmarket
E 47th St & 2nd Ave.

Wednesdays

8am-12:30pm GrowNYC Staten Island Compost Facility Flyer
Manhattan Inwood Greenmarket
Seaman Ave & Isham St (N corner)
Saturdays 7:30am-11:30am GrowNYC Staten Island Compost Facility Flyer
Manhattan Madison Square Park Food Scrap Drop-off
Madison Ave & E 25 Street
Wednesdays 7:15am-1pm GrowNYC Staten Island Compost Facility Flyer
Manhattan St. Mary's Harlem
521 West 126th St

Fridays

8:30am-12pm

GrowNYC Staten Island Compost Facility Flyer
Manhattan Tompkins Square Greenmarket
E 7th St & Ave A
Sundays 8am-5pm LESEC LESEC LESEC
Manhattan Tribeca Greenmarket
Greenwich St & Duane St
Saturdays 8am-11:30am GrowNYC Staten Island Compost Facility Flyer 
Manhattan Tucker Square Greenmarket
66th St & Columbus Ave
Thursdays

9am-12pm

GrowNYC Staten Island Compost Facility Flyer
Manhattan Union Square Greenmarket
NE Section of Union Square Park

Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat

8am-5pm LESEC LESEC LESEC
Queens Commonpoint Queens in partnership with The Forest Hills Green Team
67-09 108th St, Forest Hills, NY 11375

Sundays

10am-1pm Forest Hills Green Team Staten Island Compost Facility Flyer coming soon
Queens Corona Food Scrap Drop-off
Roosevelt Ave & 103 St

Sundays

8:30am-1pm GrowNYC Staten Island Compost Facility Flyer
Queens Forest Hills Greenmarket
70th Ave & Austin St
Sundays 9am-12pm GrowNYC Staten Island Compost Facility Flyer
Queens Jackson Heights Greenmarket
79th St and Northern Blvd

Sundays

7:30am-2pm GrowNYC Staten Island Compost Facility Flyer
Queens Kew Gardens Food Scrap Drop-off
Metropolitan Ave & Audley St
Fridays 9am-12pm GrowNYC Staten Island Compost Facility Flyer
Queens Ridgewood Food Scrap Drop-off 
Myrtle Ave & Cypress Ave
Fridays 8am-11:30am GrowNYC Staten Island Compost Facility Flyer
Queens Sunnyside Greenmarket
Skillman Ave & 42nd St
Saturdays 9am-1pm GrowNYC Staten Island Compost Facility Flyer 
Queens Terraza 7 Food Scrap Drop-off
40-19 Gleane St
Sundays  8am-1:30pm GrowNYC Staten Island Compost Facility Flyer

 

Key:
LESEC = Lower East Side Ecology Center


Frequently Asked Questions

Why compost?
Composting is one of the easiest things that everyone can do to improve the environment, with benefits including:

  • Sending Zero Waste to Landfills - over ⅓ of New York City’s residential waste stream is made up of organic waste that could be composted, including food scraps, food-soiled paper, and yard waste.
  • Fighting Climate Change - making compost locally cuts down on carbon emissions from hauling trash long distances, and methane emissions generated by anaerobic decomposition of food waste in landfills.
  • Turning Waste into a Resource - compost is a valuable fertilizer that returns nutrients to soil and helps plants thrive. Food scraps dropped-off with GrowNYC become compost that is distributed for free to community gardens, urban farms, neighborhood parks, street tree beds, and members of the public.
  • Keeping it Local - food scraps collected by GrowNYC are processed locally in partnership with NYC Compost Project host sites and other partners, including Big Reuse, Earth Matter, Lower East Side Ecology CenterQueens Botanical Garden, Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden, and Waste Management.

What can I compost with GrowNYC?

  • Accepted Materials: fruit & vegetable scraps, non-greasy food scraps (rice, pasta, bread, grains, cereal), coffee grounds & filters, tea bags, egg shells & nuts, cut flowers & houseplants, soiled brown paper products, potting soil.
  • Do Not Bring: meat, fish, bones, dairy, fat, oil, greasy food scraps, animal waste, charcoal, coconuts, plastics, twist ties, rubber bands, receipts, insect-infested plants, vines, excavated soil.

How should I store my food scraps?
Food scraps can be collected in reusable containers, paper bags, or plastic bags. To reduce odors at home and at the collection sites, store items in the freezer or refrigerator. A layer of shredded newspaper at the bottom of your storage container also helps.

How can I enroll in Curbside Composting?
Starting in October, 2021, The NYC Department of Sanitation's residential Curbside Composting service is resuming on a rolling basis based on the number of sign-ups in each neighborhood. Sign up at nyc.gov/curbsidecomposting.

How can I make compost at home?
We recommend reading the NYC Compost Project's Outdoor Composting Guide and Indoor Composting Guide for an introduction on the art and science of making compost. If you want to dig deeper, check out the Master Composter Manual and get involved with your nearest NYC Compost Project host site.

Can businesses drop off materials to compost?
No. Commercial food scraps are not accepted at these sites. Businesses should contact a hauler who can handle commercially-generated organic waste.

How has participation in the GrowNYC Compost Program changed over time?

The GrowNYC Food Scrap Drop-off Program is a partnership between the City of New York, the NYC Department of Sanitation, GrowNYC, and community partners.

Every year, GrowNYC holds our Annual Spring Plant Sale in order to provide community groups with affordable perennial and annual flowering plants, herbs, ground covers, and vegetables grown by Greenmarket farmers and sold in wholesale quantities.