Smart Compost Bins—45 in All—Have Arrived in Upper Manhattan

One of the new Smart Compost bins in Harlem.

The city quietly unrolled its Smart Compost program in Upper Manhattan at the tail end of last year.

Forty-five "smart bins" that accept food scraps have been installed on the streets of Morningside Heights, Central Harlem, East Harlem, West Harlem, Washington Heights and Inwood. The South Bronx is also included in the rollout.

The new smart compost bin locations are marked on the NYC Compost app.

Anyone who wants to compost their food scraps can unlock the orange bins using the NYC Compost app, which can be downloaded for free on Android and iOS.

Accepted items include fruit, vegetables, meat, bones, dairy, prepared food, food-soiled paper and plants.

The use of bags—plastic, paper or compostable—is suggested to keep mess to a minimum.

The smart bin program, which aims to divert compostable material from landfills, was first introduced in Astoria in late 2021.

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