I know what you might be thinking- ew I don’t want my smelly garbage lying around my dorm for days.

I too was skeptical about composting and if I could really be one of those people. My roommates and I genuinely were curious about how one can compost in the city. We did our research and got started with a small plastic bag. We had a lot of questions that we learned the answer to from the internet and with a couple weeks of practice. Now, I’m here to help you live your best green life without the hassle.

I want to ask my roommates if we can compost, how should I ask?

You can throw some mad facts like food waste is 17% of NYC’s waste that when sent to a landfill can create harmful greenhouse gases like methane that pollute our environment. When you compost your food and other organic waste, we can create fertilizers that can be make the soil nutritious for plants.

I would also bring up the fact that you would really only drop off the compost once a week at one of the 42 Greenmarkets in the five boroughs. For example there is the Union Square Greenmarket that is easily accessible to a lot of NYU dorms in and around the area.

If they’re concerned about the smell, as long as you store the compost in the freezer, it is completely odorless!

Help! What do I have to buy?

There’s really not much to it, pick up a large tupperware from Bed, Bath and Beyond. If you don’t feel like dropping the dough reuse an old yogurt container, milk cartons or the plastic bags your mom taught you to store under your sink.

You’re also going to need to have a freezer, if you live in an upperclassmen dorm or apartment you should already have one but not all freshman dorms come stocked.

Ok cool, got some storage what can I put in it?

Every place is different, but most NYC food scrap drop off sites follow certain requirements.

They accept materials including fruit and vegetable scraps, non-greasy food scraps (rice, pasta, bread, cereal etc.), coffee grounds & filters, tea bags, egg and nut shells, pits, cut or dried flowers, houseplants and potting soil.

However, they do NOT accept meat, chicken, fish, greasy food scraps, fat, oil, dairy, animal waste, litter or bedding, coal or charcoal, coconuts, diseased and/or insect-infested houseplants/soil or biodegradable/compostable plastics.

So.. what exactly do I do?

Eat your fruits and veggies, drink your tea but instead of throwing it in the garbage, open your freezer where your fancy tupperware or yogurt container is and throw your scraps in there.

My bin is full! Now where do I drop it off?

Here’s the link to all the compost drop-off locations in NYC, pick whatever is convenient for your dorm or apartment. Keep in mind that they are open certain days of the week, so make sure to check the location’s website for days/times.

My roommates and I integrated composting into our weekly routine, so whoever is responsible for taking out the recycling and garbage that week also is in charge of dropping off the recycling. We go to the Union Square Greenmarket during its open days which are Monday, Wednesday, Friday or Saturday from 8-5. Talk it over with your roommates to see what works best for you all!

Finally, happy composting!

Special thanks to GrowNYC for providing a lot of this info, check out their site here https://www.grownyc.org/compost