Drop off point
June 3, By Christian Murray
Hunters Point residents were able to drop off their food scraps next to the number 7 train station this morning as a new composting program took effect.
BIG!Compost, a program of the Astoria-based Build It Green!NYC, set up a big tent next to the Vernon Boulevard-Jackson Avenue 7 train station this morning where residents were able to drop off their scraps.
The drop-off site accepted waste like fruit and vegetable scraps, corn cobs, egg shells, newspapers and a number of other items for composting. However, the program doesn’t accept meat, dairy or animal waste.
The program will now operate on Monday mornings during the rush-hour period.
“Our goal is to make composting as easy as possible for residents,” said Gina Baldwin, a spokeswoman for BIG!Compost, in a statement.
“By setting up food scrap drop-offs in locations where residents are walking past every day on the way to work, we hope to engage New Yorkers who may not be aware of how easy and fun it is to divert food waste from the landfill.”
BIG!Compost operates 15 drop-off sites at locations in Queens and Brooklyn in an effort to cut down on the estimated 650,000 tons of food New Yorkers throw away each year.
The scraps collected by the group are processed for use by the city in public parks and gardens. They are also used for compost by Brooklyn Grange, the rooftop farm on Northern Boulevard in Long Island City.
