How Do I Convince My Super to Compost?

""The law" is often up for creative interpretation when it comes to housing enforcement in New York. The main check keeping building owners and management companies honest is, generally, you, the tenant. (Personally, I live in the kind of place where nothing gets done until you call 311.) So while, yes, it's now mandatory for all residential buildings in the city to compost, that doesn't mean it's necessarily happening."

"When curbside composting was first announced, my super put a compost bin out and it was great. I started composting for the first time ever! But because he had to put the bin in our street-facing courtyard, it got overrun with passersby throwing trash and dog poop in it. Now the bin is gone and we have no way to compost."

Residents began composting when a super placed a curbside compost bin, but the bin attracted public trash and dog waste in a street-facing courtyard and was removed. Composting is legally required for all residential buildings in the city, but enforcement can be inconsistent and compliance is uneven. Tenants serve as the principal enforcement check on building owners and managers and should approach the building super first, since an early effort already occurred. If multiple residents express interest, the super may cooperate to implement a protected, workable collection system. Supers and residential workers often execute city policies and may offer practical solutions.

Read at Curbed