The Garbage Police Are Back!
The administration of Mayor Mamdani has quietly resumed applying significant fines to New Yorkers who dispose of food scraps in the trash rather than composting them, according to recent reports.
So far this year, the Sanitation Department has issued 516 citations, ending a temporary pause on the composting mandates established last spring by former Mayor Eric Adams.
This policy change means the city has already generated at least $12,900 from those not following the composting rules that started last April. The fines vary, starting at $25 for first-time offenders in small homes, and can climb to $300 for repeat offenders in larger buildings with eight or more units.
Interestingly, these 516 citations are over 13 times the number issued between May and December of 2025. Under Adams, enforcement was primarily aimed at facilities that repeatedly neglected to separate food waste from regular garbage.
In those months, the Department of Sanitation and New York City (DSNY) issued an astounding 42,844 warnings related to composting, compared to just four tickets this year so far.
With warmer weather approaching and the mandate nearing its first anniversary, enforcement is anticipated to ramp up. However, some local officials believe New Yorkers aren’t fully prepared for a complete transition to composting just yet.
Staten Island City Council members David Carr, Frank Morano, and Camilla Hanks recently wrote to the Department of Transportation, expressing support for the composting program, but suggesting that imposing fines might be premature.
“Current enforcement strategies risk penalizing residents who lack adequate information and guidance about the program,” the bipartisan group pointed out.
Politicians have called for increased educational efforts, emphasizing the importance of sorting trash as a valuable practice. DSNY took a strong enforcement approach last April, issuing 4,339 fines in that month alone. Yet, Adams opted to dial back on enforcement due to public frustration and confusion regarding the guidelines just as he was campaigning for re-election.
Critics, including landlords and property managers, argued that the requirements were impractical, claiming it would compel workers to rummage through dumpsters to separate food scraps from tenants who preferred the convenience of garbage chutes.
Despite the challenges, the initiative saw success in its initial weeks, with DSNY collecting impressive amounts of compostable materials at the start. In its first week, the program collected 3.8 million pounds of food waste—equating to the weight of eight and a half Statues of Liberty.
