NYC's new composting rules spark outrage from landlords
NYC composting fines begin April 1
Starting April 1, New York City will begin enforcing fines for non-compliance with its citywide composting law — and landlords are already speaking out. Under the new rules, food scraps and soiled paper must be separated into compost bins. While the city has been rolling out composting since October, enforcement begins now — with fines that landlords say could unfairly land on their shoulders if tenants don’t comply. FOX 5's Teresa Priolo has the story.
NEW YORK - Beginning April 1, New York City will begin enforcing fines for non-compliance with its citywide composting program. The initiative, which was expanded across all five boroughs last October, requires the separation of food scraps and food-soiled paper into a dedicated compost bin.
However, landlords and property managers are pushing back, saying they will be responsible for compliance without the power to enforce the law among their tenants.
What we know:
The initiative began in October 2024, with people across all five boroughs required to compost their food waste and garden scraps.
According to the Department of Sanitation, the material can be converted into compost, renewable energy, or otherwise diverted from landfills to avoid feeding rats or contributing to greenhouse gases.
Joshua Goodman, deputy commissioner for sanitation, said, "Think about it this way—we’ve been required to separate recyclables for 20 years. This is just the same, a new material type now covered."
What they're saying:
The city's landlords say that the guidelines will ultimately force them to sort out their tenant's garbage.
"The law essentially amounts to supers having to dumpster dive through trash in order to comply with the composting law the city has mandated," said Kenny Burgos of the New York Apartment Association. "It’s a law that is going to be incredibly difficult to comply with."
Christopher Athineos, a Brooklyn property owner whose family manages 100 units, also voiced his concerns.
"I mean, it’s nasty stuff, and it’s nasty and it's hazardous," he said. "Why should property owners, porters, building owners, superintendents have to expose themselves to this?"
Athineos says many of his tenants don’t compost—and he believes it’s unreasonable to expect landlords to police waste bins.
"I, as a property owner, have no ability to enforce it on my tenants. I can educate as much as possible, I can reason with them and explain all the reasons why we should do this, but ultimately I have no teeth to enforce it," he said.
By the numbers:
For a building with up to 8 apartments, fines start at $25 and can escalate to $100.
For buildings with over 9 apartments, fines start at $100 and go up to $300.