New York City now requires every home to separate food scraps from trash, and the team at Green Hands Cleaning Services Corp has watched that change show up in kitchens across the five boroughs. It looks like fruit flies over the counter. It looks like a sour smell under the sink. It looks like a brown bin on the curb with something crawling in it.
The rule is good for the planet. But nobody gave New Yorkers a plan for keeping food scraps in a tiny kitchen for days without making a mess. This guide fills that gap.
What the Law Says
In 2023, the City Council passed Local Law 85, part of a package of zero waste laws. It made curbside composting a citywide program. The NYC Department of Sanitation (DSNY) rolled it out borough by borough:
- Queens and Brooklyn: October 2023
- The Bronx and Staten Island: March 2024
- Manhattan: October 2024
Separating food scraps and yard waste became mandatory for all residents. DSNY began issuing fines in April 2025. Fines start at $25 for smaller buildings and go higher for larger buildings and repeat offenses.
What goes in the compost bin:
- All food scraps, including meat, bones, dairy, and eggshells
- Food-soiled paper, like napkins, paper towels, and paper plates
- Yard waste, like leaves, flowers, and plant trimmings
What stays out: plastic, foil, glass, and “compostable” plastic cups or cutlery.
Food scraps and yard waste make up about one third of NYC’s residential waste stream, according to DSNY. Keeping them out of landfills cuts methane, a strong greenhouse gas. The law’s goal is simple. The daily reality in a small apartment is not.
Why This Is Harder in New York City
New York homes are unlike homes in most of the country. A few numbers show why.
- 8,804,190 people lived in NYC at the 2020 Census. That is more than any other U.S. city.
- More than 3 million households live in the city, based on Census American Community Survey (ACS) data.
- About 2 out of 3 NYC households rent, per ACS data. Nationwide, it is closer to 1 in 3.
- More than 1 in 3 New Yorkers was born in another country, based on ACS data. In Queens, it is close to half.
Most of these households live in apartments with small kitchens and no backyard. There is no garage to store a bin. There is often no room under the sink. Many renters walk scraps down several flights of stairs to a shared bin in a basement or alley.
New York’s food culture adds to the volume. Families who cook at home every day, from Jackson Heights to Sunset Park to Washington Heights, make a lot of peels, bones, and scraps. That is a lot of organic waste sitting in a small, warm room between pickups.
The Real Problem: Time and Heat
Compost collection happens once a week in most neighborhoods. That means scraps can sit in your kitchen for up to seven days.
Here is what happens in that time:
- Fruit flies lay eggs on rotting produce. One female can lay about 500 eggs. In a warm kitchen, eggs become adult flies in about a week.
- House flies can lay eggs on meat and fish scraps. In summer heat, those eggs can hatch into maggots in less than a day.
- Smells come from bacteria breaking down food. Warmth speeds this up fast.
- Mold grows on wet scraps and on the inside walls of the bin.
NYC summers make all of this worse. July highs often sit in the mid-80s, and many older apartments have no central air. Kitchens near a stove or radiator run even hotter.
What New Yorkers Keep Asking
These questions come up again and again in NYC apartment forums and neighborhood groups since the rule started.
“How do I stop fruit flies?”
Fruit flies need ripe or rotting food and a little moisture. Take one of those away and they leave.
- Keep a lid on your kitchen caddy. A tight lid is the most important step.
- Freeze your scraps. Keep a container or paper bag of scraps in the freezer until pickup day. No smell, no flies, no mess. This is the top tip from experienced city composters.
- Empty the caddy every 2 to 3 days if you can’t freeze.
- Wash the caddy each time with hot water and dish soap.
- Set a trap. Mix apple cider vinegar with a drop of dish soap in a small cup. The soap breaks the surface so flies sink.
- Check the sink drain. Fruit flies also breed in the gunk inside drains. Pour boiling water down slowly, then scrub the drain with a brush.
“My kitchen smells. What do I do?”
The smell is almost always wet food breaking down. Here is how to fix it:
- Line the caddy with newspaper, a paper bag, or food-soiled paper towels. These are allowed in the compost and soak up liquid.
- Drain wet scraps before they go in. Shake off water from salad greens and cooking leftovers.
- Sprinkle baking soda in the bottom of the caddy after you wash it.
- Wipe under and behind the caddy. Drips build up on cabinet floors and pull in pests.
“Will composting bring rats?”
Rats follow food, and New York has a long history with rats. In 2023, the city appointed its first Director of Rodent Mitigation to fight the problem.
Composting doesn’t add more food to the street. It moves the same scraps into a different bin. The key is the bin. DSNY requires a container with a tight, secure lid. Black plastic bags of trash on the sidewalk have been the main rat buffet for decades. A hard bin with a locking lid is much harder for rats to open.
Inside your home, keep the caddy closed and off the floor. Seal gaps under sinks and around pipes with steel wool. Call 311 if you see rat activity in your building.
“What bin do I need, and when do I put it out?”
You can use the brown DSNY compost bin or your own bin up to 55 gallons with a secure lid. Label it clearly as compost.
DSNY set-out rules say bins can go to the curb after 6 PM the night before pickup. Trash rules also changed. Most residential buildings with 1 to 9 units must now put trash out in containers with lids, not loose bags. Ask your super or landlord which day your building’s compost pickup happens.
“Can I put meat and bones in?”
Yes. This surprises a lot of people. NYC’s program uses industrial-scale processing, which handles meat, fish, bones, and dairy. Backyard compost piles can’t. Just freeze these items first. They smell the worst and draw flies the fastest.
A Clean Kitchen Routine for City Composters
Here is a simple weekly plan that works in most NYC apartments.
Every day:
- Drop scraps in a lidded caddy or freezer container.
- Wipe the counter where you prep food.
Every 2 to 3 days:
- Empty the caddy into your building’s brown bin or freezer bag.
- Wash the caddy with hot, soapy water.
Once a week:
- Scrub the sink drain.
- Wipe inside the cabinet under the sink.
- Clean the fridge produce drawers, where forgotten food rots first.
Once a month:
- Pull out the fridge and stove if you can, and clean behind them. Crumbs and grease collect there and draw pests.
- Deep clean your building bin or ask your super when the shared bins get washed.
A Seasonal Guide
Each NYC season brings its own composting challenges.
- Summer (June to August): Heat makes everything smell and breed faster. Freeze all meat and fish scraps. Empty the caddy daily if possible.
- Fall (September to November): Yard waste piles up. Leaves count as compost. This is also the time to deep clean before holiday cooking.
- Winter (December to February): Holiday meals make more scraps than usual. Radiators can heat kitchens more than you expect, so don’t park the caddy near one. Holiday trees have their own DSNY collection, usually in January.
- Spring (March to May): Warming weather brings flies back. Do a full kitchen clean in March, before fly season starts.
When to Call a Pro
Most kitchens stay clean with a solid routine. A professional clean helps when:
- Fruit flies or other pests keep coming back after you’ve tried everything.
- There’s built-up grease and food behind and under appliances.
- You’re moving and need the kitchen spotless for a walk-through.
- You’re a landlord prepping a unit and want the kitchen ready for a new tenant.
A deep kitchen clean removes the hidden food residue that keeps pests coming back. You can learn how that works through the Green Hands house cleaning service page.
The Bottom Line
NYC’s composting law is now part of daily life in every borough. It doesn’t have to mean a smelly kitchen. Freeze your scraps. Use a lidded caddy. Wash it often. Keep the shared bin closed. A few small habits keep your home clean and help the city cut landfill waste at the same time.
About Green Hands Cleaning Services Corp
Green Hands Cleaning Services Corp is a residential cleaning company based in East Elmhurst, Queens. The team cleans homes across New York City, including Queens, Brooklyn, and Manhattan. Services include deep cleaning, kitchen and appliance cleaning, apartment and house cleaning, move-in and move-out cleaning, and recurring maid service. The company works with renters, homeowners, landlords, and Airbnb hosts. Its cleaners know the challenges of city homes, from small kitchens and steam radiators to pre-war floors and tight schedules.
Green Hands Cleaning Services Corp
22-16 79th St, East Elmhurst, NY 11370, United States
greenhandscleaningservices.com
+1 212-812-9418
