City to Stop Issuing Most Fines to Composting Violators Until 2026

Even though a flurry of fines was increasing compliance with mandatory curbside organics collection, Mayor Eric Adams has suddenly reversed course, announcing that the Department of Sanitation will stop issuing fines to most buildings that fail to obey the law until next year.

The law remains in effect, but the teeth of enforcement have been greatly reduced.

The city offered no explanation for the reversal.

The city has issued more than 4,000 tickets since April 1, Gothamist reports, which has increased collection of organic matter to a high of 3.8 million pounds last week. When organic matter is dumped in a landfill, it produces methane, a greenhouse gas.

“Make no mistake: Composting continues to be mandatory in New York City," Liz Garcia, a spokesperson for Mayor Eric Adams, said in a statement. She added that buildings with more than 30 units that get more than four warnings from the sanitation department will still be fined $100 for failing to compost. The original fine structure, which the sanitation department had worked for years to develop, called for fines that started at $25 for smaller buildings and could climb to $300 per violation for bigger residences.

Curbside composting has been mandatory since last October, but as part of the rollout, the city issued warnings for six months. Then, on April 1, sanitation inspectors began enforcing the rules by issuing fines to buildings that didn’t separate organic waste, much as they are now required to separate glass, plastic, metal and paper for recycling. Sanitation department officials said that the tickets were crucial to getting more people onboard, and indeed they resulted in an immediate uptick in collections.

The original fine structure will resume in 2026.