You are reading

Brown Organics Collections Bins Coming To Astoria in May

Jan. 30, 2018 By Christian Murray

The organics collection program by the Department of Sanitation (DSNY) is coming to several Queens neighborhoods starting in spring.

The program will be rolled out in Astoria in May; in Jackson Heights, Elmhurst, East Elmhurst, Corona and North Corona in June; and Forest Hills and Rego Park in July.

Residents in these neighborhoods will be able to dispose of their organic waste–including food scraps, food-soiled paper, and yard waste–through a curbside program, or by depositing it at a neighborhood drop-off site.

Buildings with two to nine apartments are automatically included in the program, and the DSNY will provide one large bin for residents to share. Each apartment unit will also get one starter kit containing a kitchen container, a brochure, a coupon, and a sticker per apartment.

Single family homes in these areas are also automatically included and will receive one small bin and a starter kit.

After the DSNY distributes the bins, organic collection service will occur once a week on recycling day.

For buildings with more than nine units, or on commercial streets, building management has to apply to participate in the program. Once the building is approved, DSNY staff will train and educate building staff on proper disposal methods, according to a spokesperson for the DSNY.

Disposing waste through the organics collection program is voluntary, and there are no penalties for choosing not to participate.

The DSNY says that organic waste—yard waste, compostable paper, food scraps—account for over 30 percent of all waste generated by residents in the city.

By the end of 2018, all New Yorkers should have access to curbside service or a neighborhood drop-off point for organic waste.

For detailed instructions on how best to use the brown bins, visit the DSNY organic collections site.

email the author: news@queenspost.com

3 Comments

Click for Comments 
selena

ooo joy !
JUST WHAT WE NEED !
whose idea was this ?
gawdforbid that the dept of sanitation starts issuing tickets to the slobs throwing garbage all over the streets as in food wrappers,coffee containers etc.

Reply
Name

Trashy people like to swim in their garbage/waste. Certain neighborhoods tell everything about their residents. Watch “Idiocracy” and kill the planet already.

Reply

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

Catch the fall vibe at these western Queens breweries

Sep. 3, 2025 By Jessica Militello

September rings in the start of Oktoberfest from mid-September through October, featuring special brews, fun events and more fall fun. Western Queens is filled with breweries to enjoy seasonal brews, fall flavors and the start of cooler weather as Autumn approaches, making it a perfect time to meet up with friends at these local spaces.

Op-Ed | Four years after Hurricane Ida, Queens deserves real climate resilience

Sep. 2, 2025 By Assembly Member Jessica González-Rojas

Four years ago, Hurricane Ida tore through our neighborhoods of East Elmhurst, Corona and Jackson Heights, leaving behind devastation we will never forget. We lost neighbors to the floodwaters. Families saw their homes destroyed, their basements wiped out, their lives upended. Immigrant families—so many of them undocumented—were hit the hardest, often excluded from relief altogether. Ida was not just a storm; it was a wake-up call.