NYC is a magical place filled with opportunities and innovation but on the downside, you can't see the stars, that's how polluted it is by light. I have grown up learning to avoid times square and recognizing that when people talk about the city that never sleeps they are talking about NYC. Unfortunately, the ties that come with the city that never sleeps is the lights are always on and the litter keeps piling up. The pollution that comes from these ties affects New Yorkers more than they know. But not to fear, there are ways that NYC is trying to be more eco-friendly by starting programs that make being eco-friendly easier.
Organics Collection Program
These brown bins have been popping up all over the city and there's no end in sight. This is what the city calls the Organics Collection Program and as an avid compost activist, I'm happy to know this exists. This program allows the Department of Sanitation to collect food scraps, food-soiled paper, and yard waste from residents. All of this waste is then turned into compost or renewable energy. The compost is collected weekly and currently there are 3.5 million residents in NYC that are participating in the organics service. If you are a NYC resident, you can receive your own complimentary brown bin by clicking here.
GrowNYC: Food Scrap Drop-off Sites
GrowNYC is a sustainable organization that provides New Yorkers with the programs and even tools to make NYC a greener place. A program they provide is the food scrap drop-off which offer New Yorkers a chance to collect their organic waste and drop off it off at a nearby site. This reduces the amount of waste that makes its ways into landfills every year. By bringing the food scraps to the sites, you are able to prevent green house emissions that would have occurred at landfills. There are already 60 city wide sites available. To learn where your nearest food-scrap drop off site is, click here.
0 x 30 : Zero Waste to Landfills by 2030
A new initiative the Department of Sanitation is working on, is pushing "0 x 30" to be your new catchphrase. The goal is to pledge for zero waste in landfills by 2030. In order to pledge for zero waste you will have to click yes on a list of eco-friendly conditions you can do to reduce waste. Some conditions include recycling, safely disposing harmful household products, donating clothing and more. By taking the zero waste pledge, you can receive a nifty orange reusable bag. I love these bags because can actually fold it into a small pouch and a carabiner clip is also provided! With the bag being made up of 90% recycled material, it can work as your new statement piece.You can take the zero waste pledge and receive an orange reusable bag by clicking here.
StopNSwap
Stop N Swap is a fun and free community event that everyone can partake in. All you have to do is bring your clean, reusable items such as clothing, games, books and toys that you no longer need, and you are able to swap out your items for something new. You can take things home for free! The Non-profit organization ,GrowNYC, created this event to allow people to get excited about reusing material that others would have thrown away. The true definition of "one man's trash is another man's treasure". You can find out about future swaps by signing up for the monthly Recycling e-alerts by clicking here.
New Yorkers VS Pollution
Each of these initiatives that the city of New York has started is all to benefit New Yorkers and their fight against pollution. These initiatives are made to make eco-friendly options easier and seem accessible and possible. By adding any of these options into your routine as a New Yorker, you are contributing to a greener future. Just like the saying goes, "reduce, reuse, recycle, rihanna!"