QUEENS — It will soon be easier for residents of Eastern Queens to recycle their food scraps.
Several new food scrap drop-off locations are planned for the area, possibly in Kew Gardens and Ridgewood, although specific sites have not yet been selected, according to the NYC Compost Project, an initiative seeking to provide opportunities to compost locally.
The sites, which are slated to open in March, will allow residents to dispose of their fruit and vegetable scraps at pop-up locations in their neighborhoods.
“Western Queens has a lot of food scrap drop-off locations and now we are going to focus a lot of attention on Central and Eastern Queens,” said Aleks Jagiello, of the NYC Compost Project, which is run by the Department of Sanitation.
Pop-up locations will operate once a week for several hours at each location, the group said. The organizers will collect scraps and distribute brochures explaining the process and benefits of composting.
Food scraps will be composted at Queens Botanical Garden and then used to feed the soil at local farms and community gardens, the group said.
The group is still searching for specific locations within the neighborhoods and is currently conducting an online survey asking residents for suggestions. Participants are welcome to recommend additional neighborhoods and locations besides those listed in the survey, the group said.
The survey lists Lefferts Boulevard, near Austin Street, and Queens Boulevard, at Kew Gardens Road, near the train station, as possible Kew Gardens locations.
Currently, the nearest food scrap drop-off locations in Central Queens are located at the Forest Hills and Jackson Heights greenmarkets.
The group said it’s planning to expand the program to more neighborhoods in Eastern Queens in the future.
