In the first week of enforcement, the city said it issued 1,885 citations to property owners who failed to comply with its new curbside composting rules.

The Department of Sanitation also collected 240% more compostable material during the first week of its crackdown than it did in the same week last year, the agency said.

What You Need To Know

  • In the first week of enforcement, the city said it issued 1,885 citations to property owners who failed to comply with its new curbside composting rules
  • The Department of Sanitation also collected 240% more compostable material during the first week of its crackdown than it did in the same week last year

  • The new rules, which took effect in October, require property owners to separate organic waste from regular trash
  • The city began handing out summonses for violations on April 1

Responding to Gothamist — which first reported on the fines — on social media, the department said the increase amounted to 2.5 million pounds of food scraps, food-soiled paper and yard waste being collected.

“New Yorkers have been clamoring for years for a curbside composting program that’s NORMAL. No special rules, no off-days, no starts and stops — not a niche program where we act like they’re doing us a favor by participating, but a regular, easy-to-use Sanitation service,” it said in a statement.

“These numbers prove that just making this a normal service, with normal rules and – yes – normal enforcement actually gets RESULTS to get the rat food out of landfills and put to beneficial use,” it added.

The new rules, which took effect in October, require property owners to separate organic waste from regular trash. The city began handing out summonses for violations on April 1.

Fines start at $25 for small buildings with one to eight units, then increase to $50 for a second offense and $100 for subsequent violations.

For buildings with nine or more units, fines begin at $100 for the first offense, rise to $200 for a second, and reach $300 for further infractions.