NEW YORK (PIX11) – Composting is now mandatory in New York City, meaning if you don’t do it – it will cost you, according to the Department of Sanitation.
Fines for composting offenses start at $25 and can go up to $300. Food scraps, used paper goods and pizza boxes are just some of the items that can be composted, the DSNY said.
But why is a pizza box – which is usually made with cardboard – compostable? Cardboard falls under the list of items that can’t be composted, but there is a catch.
Paper and cardboard that’s soiled by grease from food has to be composted, according to the DSNY. Clean cardboard, like a shipping box, must be placed with recycling.
Pizza boxes that are lightly or not soiled can go with recycling, the DSNY wrote in a Facebook post.
Pizza box recycling bins were installed in Central Park last year as part of a pilot program.
Erin Pflaumer is a digital content producer from Long Island who has covered both local and national news since 2018. She joined PIX11 in 2023. See more of her work here.
English (US) ·