Senator James Sanders Jr. Gives Away 7,200 pounds of Free Compost

State Senator James Sanders Jr. (D-Queens) in partnership with the New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) hosted a free Compost Giveback Event on July 28, 2018 in Far Rockaway.
 
The NYC Compost is made by DSNY from food scraps and yard waste that it collects from all over the city. Each bag weighed 40 pounds and 180 bags were given away at the event - that's a total of 7,200 pounds of compost. 

“I see winners on both sides here today,” Senator Sanders said. “However, the biggest winner is planet Earth. There is so much to appreciate about compost. We are reducing the city’s volume of waste while lowing our carbon footprint. The City of New York understands the environmental benefits composting has on plant life. It is a sensible solution to waste disposal in a city that never sleeps.”

There are many benefits to using compost.

• It builds good soil structure
• Enables soil to retain nutrients, water, and air
• Protects against drought
• Helps maintain a neutral pH
• Protects plants from many diseases commonly found in the garden
• Feeds earthworms and other microbial life in the soil

Gina Baldwin, community coordinator, community composting and compost distribution, recycling and sustainability representative with the DSNY distributed informational materials at the event on how to use compost as well as stickers that residents could use to designate which of their trash bins held specific recyclables.