The NYC Department of Sanitation, in conjunction with the City’s Botanical Gardens, is giving away free compost to New York City residents and community groups during three June weekends in the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Staten Island. Check out this schedule of giveback events. The compost comes from the NYC Department of Sanitation’s leaf and Christmas tree composting operations. Finished compost can be mixed into flower and vegetable beds, blended with potting soil to revitalize indoor plants, or spread on the lawn as a fertilizer. At the compost giveback events in Brooklyn and Staten Island, subsidized compost bins made of recycled plastic will also be sold so that city residents and community groups can make their own compost. The bins will be sold at a discounted price of $20 (they are normally $70).

Free compost and subsidized bins are available only to NYC residents and community groups (proof of residency will be requested; no commercial landscapers or other businesses allowed), and on a first-come, first-served basis. Residents are encouraged to bring strong containers and a shovel to collect their compost; doubled garbage bags, sand bags, or pails are ideal for transporting compost as it can get rather heavy.

:: The NYC Compost Project

[by Justin Thomas]