Organics

• Find available drop-off sites here

• Contract with a commercial provider to pick up your residential organics

  • Use these tips to convince your building management to engage a private carter

• Contract with a microhauler below to pick up your organics via bicycle

  • Reclaimed Organics (info@reclaimedorganics.org, 347-395-6377) Serving Manhattan south of 100th Street with plans to expand further Uptown

  • Roho Compost (rohocompost@gmail.com) Serving Midtown Manhattan, the Williamsburg industrial zone, Industry City, and Long Island City

  • Vokashi (Vokashi@gmail.com, 718-623-2515) Serving Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Long Island City

• Make compost in your backyard or rooftop or start an indoor worm bin

• Composting tips for beginners from NYS DEC

  1. Outdoor Composting Guide from DSNY

  2. Indoor Worm Composting Guide from DSNY

  3. How to compost in NYC from GrowNYC

• Waste less food (and fight climate change!) by canning, using leftovers, making stock, and more

  • Tips from the Department of Environmental Conservation

  • How to use best before and sell-by dates

• Encourage DSNY to restore curbside organics service by signing the petition or using social media to raise awareness

Textiles

• Hold onto items until services resume

• Turn old clothes and fabrics into something new

• Drop off clothing/ textiles at Goodwill, Salvation Army, and other thrift stores. Find a drop-off site here

• Find your local “Buy Nothing” group on Facebook to get rid of unwanted items

Electronics Waste (ECycle)

• Hold onto items until services resume

• When appropriate, drop off electronics at Best Buy, Staples, or the Lower East Side Ecology Center (currently closed for e-waste)

Pharmaceuticals

• DEA Drug Take Back Day was cancelled, as are SAFE disposal events

• DEC Drop boxes remain open, but call first to verify pharmacy hours and confirm that boxes are still active

• This presentation from the MSWAB Pharmaceutical Committee summarizes key information about pharmaceutical waste in NYC in the time of COVID-19

Cultural Institutions

• The MSWAB’s Cultural Institutions Task Force has compiled a handout to support directors and boards of NYC's cultural institutions as they planning reopening strategies