Our state-of-the-art Compost Compound is the processing center for plant debris and materials collected from Fort Washington Park to Riverside Park South (W 181 to W 59th Street). Woody debris, leaves, greens, and invasives are brought here to be processed and then incorporated back into the park.
About the Compound
We celebrated the opening of a state-of-the-art compost facility at 95th Street in Summer 2023! The complete transformation of this site from a formerly abandoned lot included the construction of bays to support the site’s new functionality and improvements to the area’s landscape and accessibility.
Since the start of operations, our field staff diverted over 300 cubic yards of ‘green’ waste from landfills to the compound, where it is turned into nutrient-rich compost for our landscapes. They have also removed 124.67 cubic yards of woody debris, which were then processed into wood chips for paths throughout the Park.
We were also successful in our goal of establishing a replicable model of a closed-loop green waste recycling system for large-scale urban parks. We have been proud to showcase the compound to several civic organizations and other partners, from the Manhattan Borough President’s office to Central Park Conservancy. Council Member Gale Brewer even used our Compost Compound as a model to introduce a new compost bill, which was passed in November 2024.
The Compost Compound is not able to process compost from the public. Only staff from NYC Parks and Riverside Park Conservancy may drop-off plant material.
