NYC Composting Fines and Outdoor Dining Season Begin April 1st

NYC Composting Mandate and Fines

• 🍎 New York City is implementing fines for failing to compost food waste, starting Tuesday.
• 🗑️ Residents must separate leaf and yard waste, all food scraps (including meat, bones, dairy, prepared foods), food-soiled paper, and coffee filters into brown bins.
• 🏢 Fines vary by building size: $25 for the first offense in buildings with up to eight units, and $100 for the first offense in buildings with more than nine units.

Outdoor Dining Season Returns

• 🍽️ The city's outdoor dining season officially begins, allowing restaurants to use roadway and sidewalk spaces.
• ⚠️ Restaurants have lost a significant percentage of their seating capacity and are now more weather-dependent due to new regulations, with some choosing not to participate.
• 🚦 The Department of Transportation states that 70% of applicants will be able to operate, and 80% of sidewalk setups are permitted during application processing.
• ⚖️ Some argue the process is inequitable, citing a significant disparity in outdoor dining permits between different boroughs, with the Bronx having far fewer roadway cafes than pre-pandemic levels.
• 📅 The outdoor dining season runs from April 1st to November 29th.

Alcohol Service and Future of Program

• 🍻 Restaurants serving liquor outdoors can only apply for permits after receiving city approval for their dining setup.
• 📈 The State Liquor Authority is reviewing most applications within 7 to 10 days.
• 📜 Legislation has been introduced to make the outdoor dining program year-round, addressing concerns about the feasibility and cost for restaurants to remove structures seasonally.