Int. No. 171-A

By Council Members Rose and The Speaker (Council Member Quinn) and Council Members Brewer, Dromm, Fidler, Gentile, James, Koppell, Koslowitz, Lander, Lappin, Mark-Viverito, Williams, Jackson, Gennaro, Van Bramer, Levin, Recchia, Ferreras, Barron, Garodnick and Reyna

A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to the composting of food waste.

Be it enacted by the Council as follows:

Section 1.  Subchapter 3 of chapter 3 of title 16 of the administrative code of the city of New York is amended by adding a new section 16-316.2 to read as follows:

§16-316.2. Food waste composting study. The department, in conjunction with the mayor’s office of long-term planning and sustainability, shall issue a report by July first, two thousand twelve recommending methods to expand the diversion of compostable waste from the city’s waste stream.  In preparing such report, the department or the office of long-term planning and sustainability shall (1) study the viability of a curbside collection program for household and institutional compostable waste including, but not limited to, cost considerations and any concerns regarding siting composting facilities to conduct such a curbside collection program; (2) identify existing private and public facilities within three hundred miles of the city that accept compostable waste for composting and determine the available capacity at and cost to deliver compostable waste to such facilities and any siting considerations concerning such facilities; (3) review capacity at putrescible solid waste transfer stations permitted by the city, and putrescible solid waste transfer stations within sixty miles of the city, and determine whether any such transfer stations are capable of accepting source-separated compostable waste for consolidation and transportation, the cost to deliver source-separated compostable waste to such facilities and any siting considerations concerning such facilities; (4) explore opportunities to expand the currently available capacity to compost compostable waste at existing sites within the city or, in conjunction with the study required by section 16-316 of this chapter, explore opportunities to develop one or more new facilities within the city or within sixty miles of the city for the composting of compostable waste, including, but not limited to, opportunities to work with one or more entities to develop such facilities and any siting considerations concerning such a facility; (5) compile a comprehensive list of sites around the city including, but not limited to, city botanical gardens and greenmarkets, that accept household and institutional compostable waste on a voluntary basis, and recommend methods to encourage and expand options for voluntary composting; and (6) provide a plan to study the viability of instituting a food waste composting program for the residential or commercial waste stream, to be completed within two years of the issuance of such report.

§2. This local law shall take effect on the earlier of (i) ninety days after enactment or (ii) on the same date as a local law for the year 2010 amending the administrative code of the city of New York relating to recycling goals, as proposed in introductory number 164, or as such introductory number may be amended.

Council revisions -    7-21-10  2:00 pm