NYC property manager says he's inspecting trash to avoid compost fines
Buildings across New York City are now required to separate trash from compost.
The citywide composting rules took effect last fall, but fines only went into effect Tuesday. Owners of buildings with one to eight units face a $25 fine for a first-time offense, and larger buildings face a starting fine of $100.
DSNY says it issued more than 27,000 warnings during the probationary period.
What items are compostable in NYC?
Here are the things the city wants separated from trash:
- Leaf and yard waste, such as leaves, twigs, grass and plants;
- Food scraps, such as fruits, vegetables, meat, bones, dairy and prepared food;
- And food-soiled paper, such as napkins, towels, tea bags, plates, coffee filters and pizza boxes.
Those items should be placed in brown DSNY bins for pickup on the same day as recycling.
Clean paper, cardboard and cartons should go in recycling, while items such as wrappers, pet waste, medical waste, diapers, foam and hygiene products should go in the trash.
"I don't want to have to pay for someone else's violations"
Chris Athineos, a property manager responsible for more than 100 units in Brooklyn, says he feels like he has to physically inspect his tenants' bags in order to comply.
"I can tell from the garbage that they're putting a lot of compostable material in the actual trash," he said.
While speaking to CBS News New York's Zinnia Maldonado, Athineos grabbed three bags; two of them contained compostable materials mixed in with trash.
"I mean, it's just, I don't want to have to pay for someone else's violations of the law," he said.
Athineos says he is trying to educate his tenants about the new composting laws with signs, and he has brown composting bins next to trash and recycling.
But he stresses, at the end of the day, he can't force anyone to comply.
"We've been explaining to them that it's important to compost and we encourage composting, but they have to do the separating," he said.
Athineos says he'll be doing what he can to avoid paying up.
"How can I expect a building employee or myself to go through this?" he said. "It's a difficult position that we're in."
