Scraps to soil

Recycling paper and plastics in New York City is getting easier. Composting kitchen scraps is not. Today, only people who bring their compost to local gardens or Greenmarkets contribute to compost heaps: piles that reduce greenhouse pollution, save landfill space and lead to the production of new dirt.

Although the city and its new recycling czar continue to run pilot programs assessing the feasibility of a curbside compost pick-up service, none yet exists. Scienceline reports the problems: why it’s hard to create a collection service for organic materials and what the city loses by not having one.