No sanitation pickup
By Lena Kovadlo
@lovebuglena (48373)
Staten Island, New York
October 12, 2025 7:28pm CST
Today is Sunday and for me that means taking out the trash, the compost, and recycling for Monday pickup. I was getting ready to do that when I realized that tomorrow is Columbus Day, which means no sanitation tomorrow. I will have to take everything out Monday evening. Hopefully they will pick up everything on Tuesday.
Currently, New York City has a thing where you have to separate food stuff that you’re throwing out from regular trash. The food stuff is supposed to be placed in clear trash bags and taken out inside a brown compost bin. The stuff can really smell sometimes or even get moldy. For whatever unexplainable reason the compost is only picked up on the day when recycling is picked up. That makes absolutely no sense to me. If regular garbage is picked up twice a week, the compost should definitely be picked up twice a week. Why is it not?
9 people like this
9 responses
@LindaOHio (207888)
• United States
13 Oct
We only get garbage pickup once a week. It probably costs too much to pick it up twice a week.
4 people like this
@jstory07 (146889)
• Roseburg, Oregon
14 Oct
@lovebuglena Only once a week where I live to.
1 person likes this
@lovebuglena (48373)
• Staten Island, New York
13 Oct
@porwest same here. But compost pickup once a week baffles me.
2 people like this
@lovebuglena (48373)
• Staten Island, New York
13 Oct
Pickup should be the following day usually.
2 people like this
@celticeagle (182948)
• Boise, Idaho
13 Oct
Because then they have to change trucks.
1 person likes this
@celticeagle (182948)
• Boise, Idaho
14 Oct
@lovebuglena ........Probably not. Have to use different trucks.
1 person likes this
@lovebuglena (48373)
• Staten Island, New York
13 Oct
Does compost go into recycling trucks?
2 people like this
@lovebuglena (48373)
• Staten Island, New York
14 Oct
@celticeagle I saw sanitation take both compost and trash and throw it into the same truck.
1 person likes this
@marguicha (229573)
• Chile
13 Oct
Food for compost should be taked more often. My daughter Claudia has always lots of food for compost, but she does her own in a hole in the garden.
2 people like this
@lovebuglena (48373)
• Staten Island, New York
13 Oct
Some people do their own compost but majority don’t.
1 person likes this
@porwest (111560)
• United States
13 Oct
That's liberals for you. Make life difficult. The harder you make something the less prone people are to follow along. I like the way we do recycling here. Throw it all in one bin and let them sort it all out. lol
As for trash pickup, for us it is on Thursday. As for holidays, I just see if my neighbor Mary has her stuff out. She keeps tabs with that sort of thing so she's a good gauge. lol
2 people like this
@lovebuglena (48373)
• Staten Island, New York
13 Oct
Supposedly people are fined if they don’t separate compost from regular garbage. The fine increases with each offense.
Usually sanitation comes the following day to pick up stuff if a holiday but some people still take it out as they would when no holiday and the stuff just stays outside longer.
2 people like this
@lovebuglena (48373)
• Staten Island, New York
13 Oct
@porwest and next summer we’ll be forced to buy official department of sanitation garbage bins. 
At least the compost ones we had to get were free.
At least the compost ones we had to get were free.2 people like this
@porwest (111560)
• United States
13 Oct
@lovebuglena Like I said. Liberal nonsense. But liberals are all about democracy and freedom...
So long as you separate your trash the way they want you to, take a shower that trickles water, use paper straws, not be allowed to have a Big Gulp...
Liberalism 101...ban, force, fine and punish...
2 people like this
@jefferson126 (3667)
• Shenzhen, China
14 Oct
Here there are garbage pickup twice a week,we prepared in advance when pickup is coming.Hope there will be a pickup on Tuesday there.
1 person likes this
@lovebuglena (48373)
• Staten Island, New York
14 Oct
They came today to pick up everything.
1 person likes this
@jefferson126 (3667)
• Shenzhen, China
15 Oct
@lovebuglena ,glad to know pickup was done.
1 person likes this
@Orson_Kart (7871)
• United Kingdom
14 Oct
I think they are starting to separate the food stuff for recycling here next year. We already have too many different bins to put out, and this will be one more!
1 person likes this
@lovebuglena (48373)
• Staten Island, New York
13 Oct
You’d think so but it’s only on recycling day. What does compost have to do with recycling?
1 person likes this
