The locally based volunteer group
Haki Compost Collective (Haki)
organized and manages the Roosevelt Island Food Scrap Drop Off Site located
every Saturday in front of the Rivercross buiiding next to the Farmers
Market. 

Last Sunday, Haki brought a group of Roosevelt Island residents to the
Big Reuse Queensbridge Compost Processing Center
on Vernon B’lvd under the Queensboro Bridge for a tour to see how the food
scraps 

collected on Roosevelt Island 

are turned into compost.

Haki volunteer Danika Lam reports:

During our most recent field trip to the Queensbridge Compost Processing Site,
Lou from
@BigReuse
and his trusty sidekick Rocky,
@AstoriaPug,
took Roosevelt Island residents along the journey their food scraps take from
fully formed corn cob and pineapple crown to nutrient-rich compost. Top of
mind in the discussion was, of course, the looming eviction at the hands of
@NYCParks.

I arrived late for the tour but Big Reuse Compost Manager Lou and Rocky gave
me a tour of the Compost Facility too.

After the tour, Lou reported that NYC Parks Department plans to evict
Big Reuse from the site at the end of June.

Ms Lam adds:

The Queensbridge Compost Processing Site is absolutely vital to composting
on Roosevelt Island. 

It is only thanks to our partnership with Big Reuse that Haki Compost
Collective was able to bring back our community’s food scrap drop-off site
in September 2020 and collect the high volume of food scraps that residents
contribute every Saturday–over 1,000 pounds and growing. 

Local community composting sites make the most sense in terms of logistics,
sustainability, and community education and engagement. The City should be
expanding community composting, not evicting our world-class processing
sites.

According to Green Roosevelt Island Neighbors (GRIN) founder Anthony Longo:

BIG Reuse makes, by far, the best use of that small space under the bridge.
They built something of value for the neighborhood, for the city and for the
earth. The compost site should be used as the blueprint for how to compost in
an urban setting. It is self-serving and short sighted for the Parks
department to continue eviction threats. They have blatantly disrespected the
people who do this important work as they try to push for their parking lot
with hypocritical justifications. There is nothing they, or anyone else, can
put in that spot that is more valuable then the BIG reuse Compost site.

and iDig2Learn founder Christina Delfico supports composting efforts by Big
Reuse: 

Making the conscious action of collecting your food scraps each week and
dropping them for the compost program could eliminate 1/3 of NYC’s waste
stream. Of every sustainable action available to individuals this is one where
the outcome is known because that valuable compost returns to our neighborhood
landscapes, gardens and houseplants, but you need a place to process it like
Big Reuse,

The Big Reuse Queensbridge Compost Processing Facility
serves Queens and Brooklyn neighborhood food scrap programs
in addition to Roosevelt Island.

I asked the NYC Parks Department:

According to Big Reuse, NYC Parks intends to evict Big Reuse from the
facility at the end of June so the Parks Department can use the space for
vehicle parking. At the end of last December, Big Reuse was given a 6 month
extension to stay until June 2021 but since that time there has been no
discussion or negotiations between Big Reuse and the Parks Department about
the Queensbridge Compost facility. 

Does the Parks department intend to evict Big Reuse from Queensbridge
compost facility?

Why does Parks department want to evict Big Reuse from the facility?

Has there been any discussion or negotiation between Parks and Big Reuse to
extend their agreement for Compost facility beyond June 2021. 

Or find a suitable alternative site?

If not, why no discussion on subject?

A NYC Parks Department spokesperson replied:

Yesterday, Big Reuse reported:

 Stay tuned for more.