Some NYC venues now required to recycle food waste

New legislation will require large food venues in New York City to recycle food waste or pay the price. Though the organic recycling rules took effect Tuesday, fines for noncompliance won’t start for another six months, according to a report by the New York Business Journal.

The mandate, which targets restaurants in hotels with 150 or more rooms and vendors in arenas and stadiums with at least 15,000 seats, is part of the city’s “OneNYC” plan, which pledges to send zero waste to landfills by 2030.

Other restaurants, grocery stores and caterers are currently exempt from the rules, but the de Blasio administration plans to propose adding those business types as part of a second phase.

Affected businesses can choose whether to haul food and other organic waste themselves, have it privately collected or process it on-site via composting or allowable digestion processes; they are also responsible for covering the cost of their selected method.

“Citi Field and the Mets are strongly committed to a sustainable future and partnering with the city of New York in addressing the food waste issue that clogs our landfills,” Sue Lucchi, vice president of ballpark operations, said in a statement about the rules last year during their proposal.

The initiative is expected to further divert 50,000 tons of food waste from landfills per year. Organic matter currently makes up 35% of waste, and the city pays more that $100 million to landfill it, according to comments made by Councilwoman Debi Rose.