There’s Great News! The jaunty brown bins are coming back! On Earth Day, Mayor De Blasio announced the reinstatement of the food scrap collection program. Buildings can sign up to participate in August and the pick-up will start in October.
In the meantime you can still collect your food scraps and take them to the two drop-off sites in our area . You can even follow the awe inspiring example of our neighbor, Janet, who has organized the residents of her building to continue collecting food scraps in the same brown bins since the pick up ended. Janet and others roll them to one of the drop off spots every week. If you want to resume organics collection in your own building until the pick up program starts again in October, Janet is happy to answer questions about how to do it. Write to her at jharvilchuck@hotmail.com.
Why separating food scraps from garbage is better for the environment:
In a landfill, trapped without air, decomposing food produces methane, a greenhouse gas over 20x more potent than carbon dioxide at trapping heat. Landfills account for 34% of all methane emissions in the U.S. When you participate in a food scrap collection you also turn food waste into nutrients for plants.
Here are the benefits to you:
Composting reduces trash volume and odors, especially if you drop off at 107th and Columbus on Wednesdays where they take meat, bones and dairy.
Your trash bin will not be as messy, so you can empty it less frequently and need fewer plastic garbage bags.
Keeping food scraps out of building trash or in latched brown bins keeps vermin (rats!) at bay.
Tips for getting started or restarted:
Use a countertop bin to save food scraps. Line the bin with a compostable or reusable plastic bag.
Another alternative is to freeze scraps in a sturdy plastic bag.
Share drop-off trips with a friend or neighbor.
Start a food scrap collection program in your building by using the brown bin your building may already have, and share responsibility for rolling the bin to a drop off location.
Let’s Be Plastic-Free!
Taking a Bite Out of Waste
Question: Which is a bigger plastic waste problem, toothbrushes or toothpaste tubes? Answer: toothbrushes, by about 2 to 1, with approximately a billion thrown away annually in the US alone! But both waste problems are mind boggling and disturbing. Fortunately, zero or low waste alternatives are increasingly available, and we are here to encourage you to reduce your footprint.
Bite bamboo toothbrush - The easiest switch to make is to bamboo toothbrushes, which are available widely online and in retail outlets. The first few I tried I found effective but clunky in my hand and in my mouth. Personal tastes (and hand and mouth sizes) vary, but my favorite to date is from Bite. The round, slender handle is comfortable to hold, and can be detached from its head, making it compact for travel. The bristles are soft and not overly bulky, and, unlike other brands that contain nylon, are made 100% from plants and are compostable (if you follow the instructions on the website). A set of two costs $12, or $6/brush (less if you subscribe). https://bitetoothpastebits.com/products/brush (KW)
Bite toothpaste bits - I had read that toothpaste tablets take getting used to, so I was surprised when I liked these almost immediately. They come in a small glass jar with a metal cap (but refills come in pouches). You pop a tablet into your mouth, chew it to little bits, and start brushing. It doesn’t exactly foam up, but there’s enough to brush comfortably. The taste is not sweet (there’s no saccharin) but it’s minty, pleasant enough, and actually leaves my mouth more refreshed, less chemical tasting, and my teeth looking brighter than my current whitening, desensitizing, fluoride toothpaste. Bite contains a “non-toxic fluoride alternative”, “strengthens and remineralizes enamel” and “helps fight sensitivity”, and provides a link to the research. Other tablet brands appear to be cheaper, and a few contain fluoride, but I’m sticking with Bite since it’s highly rated, suits my taste, and I can subscribe for the brushes and tablets and save up to 40%. Single purchase is $12 for 62 tablets. https://bitetoothpastebits.com/products/mint (KW)
Better toothpaste tubes- Did you know that most toothpaste tubes are made of a combination of plastics which make them easy to squeeze but impossible to recycle? Some brands (eg Colgate, Tom’s of Maine) have developed a tube made from just one recyclable plastic (#2), but these are not yet widely available, nor understood by consumers. A better alternative is a tube made of 100% aluminum, which is endlessly recyclable. Davids | Best Natural Toothpaste is a highly rated choice among wellness and sustainability cognoscenti, for both its aluminum tube and high quality ingredients.
Other low waste (but not plastic free) alternatives to consider: aluminum toothbrush handles with replaceable (but plastic) heads. Here are two:
Have you seen these fliers posted on buildings in our neighborhood and are you wondering what they mean? Since October, 2020, NYC buildings over 25,000 square feet have been receiving energy efficiency grades from NYC’s Department of Buildings. The grade must be posted near a public entrance and failure to post results in a fine of $1,250. A score of 85 or above receives an A, 70-85 a B, 55-70 a C and less than 55 earns a D. DOB compliance guidance is available at: https://www1.nyc.gov/site/buildings/business/benchmarking.page.
The NYC Benchmarking Law requires owners of buildings to annually measure their energy and water consumption through a process called benchmarking (https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/buildings/local_laws/ll133of2016.pdf). To standardize the process, building owners use the US Environmental Protection Agency’s online benchmarking tool, Energy Star Portfolio Manager, to enter and submit the usage data to the City by May 1st of every year. This data increases transparency regarding properties’ annual energy and water usage – the first step for building owners and tenants in making their buildings operate more efficiently. If your building is not yet posting a flyer you may want to ask your coop board or management why. (Some of us at IEBG have done this and the flyer appeared in the lobby within days of our asking).
Other building compliance measures involving carbon caps are slated to take effect soon. According to the Urban Green Council, Local law 97 places carbon caps on most buildings larger than 25,000 square feet—roughly 50,000 residential and commercial properties across NYC. These caps start in 2024 and will become more stringent over time, eventually reducing emissions 80 percent by 2050. To learn more read their Local law 97 summary https://www.urbangreencouncil.org/sites/default/files/2020.07.09_urban_green_building_emissions_law_summary_revised_11.17.2020.pdf . Lack of compliance with the law results in a penalty of $268 per metric ton of carbon dioxide that a building emits over its allotted cap, potentially resulting in annual fines of hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars.
Why should you care? What Can you do?
All told, buildings are responsible for contributing nearly 70 percent to the city’s carbon emissions, through their high demands for heating, cooling and lighting and a tendency, especially among older structures, to be inefficient through either poor insulation or old windows.
Do you know some environmentally conscious neighbors in your building.? Why not form an energy committee to lobby your management to take proactive steps before the law takes effect. For starters send this useful Urban Green Council Local Law 97 FAQ link to your managing agent, coop board or other relevant building supervisors: https://www.urbangreencouncil.org/content/nyc-building-emissions-law-frequently-asked-questions
