This is how NYC crushes gnawed apple cores and greasy pizza boxes into ‘black gold'
Millions of disgusting, leaking bags of rotting food collected from New York City streets every week are digested and spat back out as 'black gold' as part of the city's fast-growing compost initiative.
The arduous process sees the apple cores, spoiled spinach bunches and greasy boxes squeezed, cooked and pummeled for months — all while being fiercely protected from hungry birds — until they are transformed into a fine, nutrient-rich dust that is returned to New Yorkers for their very own gardens.
9 Millions of pounds of food scraps, landscaping materials and food-soiled items are turned into compost every week at the Staten Island facility.
Michael McWeeney
The Post was offered on Thursday an up-close and personal view of how the Staten Island facility produces what it calls 'black gold' — which has been collected in record-breaking troves week after week since composting mandates went into effect in April.
Last week, more than 5.4 million pounds of scraps, food-soiled paper and yard waste — equal in weight to 12 Statues of Liberty — were collected across the five boroughs.
The surging collection rate is almost overwhelming for the Staten Island facility, which DSNY Assistant Commissioner Jennifer McDonnell said is fast approaching its compost capacity — which is a good problem to have.
'When you think about how much food waste there is all across the city, it would be very difficult to put ten more of these [facilities] so we have to have many diverse resources for a city as large as ours,' said O'Donnell, adding that the DSNY would partner with other facilities in the region to manage the load if it became too much.
9 It takes about three months for the materials to be turned into compost.
Michael McWeeney
'It all depends on how much people participate … We always manage no matter what it is.'
The Staten Island facility is one of two in the Big Apple, but handles the bulk of the city's spoiled scraps.
After being plucked from curbside pick-up, the materials are piled into a massive shed, which laborers rifle through to remove any non-compostable trash that slipped through. Black bags — which make it nearly impossible for laborers to tell what's inside — are the bane of the DSNY's work and are swiftly ripped open.
'Sometimes we get crazy things like refrigerators. We think that happens sometimes when the trunk that was used to collect recycling didn't get everything out and sometimes it ends up coming out here instead, which is not great, but it happens,' said O'Donnell.
'And I understand this, but we've gotten entire planters because people say, 'Oh, I want to compost my plant,' but they don't actually take it out of the pot,' she continued.
9 The materials are kept in a storage shed before piled thrown into the shredder, which rips bags open, and screener, which separates compost from garbage.
Michael McWeeney
9 'We always manage no matter what it is,' DSNY Assistant Commissioner, Jennifer McDonnell, said about the facility nearly reaching compost capacity.
Michael McWeeney
'You never really know it's New York City, right?'
A select few items that are clearly compostable — often spotted thanks to clear plastic bags — are taken to 'The Tiger,' a massive machine that squeezes the vile liquids out of the materials.
Everything else is taken through a duo of machines, aptly named the 'shredder' and 'screener.'
The massive conveyor belt with knives rips open remaining plastic bags and separates them from the materials, before pushing them through the screener, which is able to discern compost from garbage based on its density.
All the compost taken from The Tiger, the shredder and the screener is next laid out in long, narrow rows on the grounds of the Staten Island facility, where they will spend weeks 'cooking' in the sun.
9 DSNY staff is constantly fending off birds and other animals who want to munch on the pre-compost materials.
Michael McWeeney
This process is to promote the growth of bacteria that consume the material, creating methane and carbon dioxide, which is key for transforming the scraps into compost, while also killing off unwanted pathogens.
A fan is almost constantly churning beneath the piles to regulate the temperature, while a tarp above keeps out the elements — and the hungry birds that are looking to snack on the rescued trash.
Landscaping materials like downed trees and old plants go through a similar process nearby, where they are whittled down to mulch, explained O'Donnell.
Every once in a while, the piles need to be watered — otherwise, they could spontaneously combust.
9 Fans help regulate the temperature of the compost while its being 'cooked.'
Michael McWeeney
9 The finished result is a sweet-smelling dirt that can be returned to New Yorkers for use in their own gardens.
Michael McWeeney
'It can. It has. It was a while ago, but we haven't forgotten about it!' said O'Donnell.
During these crucial few weeks, the DSNY is battling Staten Island's wildlife, which have been prowling the grounds for dinner since the grounds were a landfill.
A constant blast of bird calls is echoed on speakers throughout the 33 acres, an original mix of five 'predators' overlaid on one another meant to keep the birds away. The agency has also scattered fake dead seagulls across the property to show their friends what might happen if they try to munch on the future 'black gold.'
It's not just that the DSNY doesn't want the compost to be eaten, but the birds' excrement and bacteria would jeopardize the safety of the material, explained the compost facility's project manager, Mike LeBlanc.
9 Ground compost is being loaded onto a conveyor belt to be bagged at The Staten Island Compost Facility.
Michael McWeeney
9 More than 2.1 million bag of compost have been doled out to New Yorkers for free since January.
Michael McWeeney
The measures seem to be working — there have been no reports of a bird, coyote or other animals getting sucked up into any of the compost machines.
'I haven't seen one yet. The good news is that if they do, they are organic,' said LeBlanc.
At the end of the 'cooking' time, the landscaping mulch and food-soiled materials are put through the 'Star Screen,' which pummels the now-sweet-smelling combination into a fine dust that looks like healthy dirt.
Much of the compost is doled out to parks and schools across the five boroughs, and plenty is sold off to contractors, but DSNY keeps a hefty amount in stock at all times to give back to New Yorkers at its weekly GiveBack sites — completely free of charge.
Big Apple residents have claimed more than 2.1 million pounds of compost since January.
All in all, it takes about three months for kitchen scraps to be collected at curbside pickup and returned in dirt form.
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