New York City Council members are under pressure from constituents to salvage the city's organics recycling programs, a victim of budget cuts due to fallout from the new coronavirus.
During an hour-and-a-half long committee meeting last week on the city's sanitation budget, multiple council members questioned the decision to cut the curbside organics collections and other efforts, arguing they are key to achieving 2030 "zero waste" goals aimed at combating climate change.
"I've received the most amount of emails and calls relating to organics recycling," said Council Member Antonio Reynoso, chairman of the sanitation committee, who pushed Kathryn Garcia, commissioner of New York's Department of Sanitation (DSNY), on the decision.
Organics recycling proponents hope they can lessen the impacts from some of the cuts. A coalition consisting of a number of local groups have banded together under #SaveOurCompost, which includes support from the New York Lawyers for the Public Interest (NYLPI), New York City Environmental Justice Alliance, ALIGN NY, Big Reuse, and the solid waste advisory boards for Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan.
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