Westchester County Department of Environmental Facilities

On March 6, 2023, the Westchester County Board of Legislators unanimously passed new single-use foodware legislation to reduce waste, including plastic waste. The purpose of the legislation is to reduce unnecessary waste generated from single-use disposable items in the retail food industry, thereby improving the health and safety of the community, protecting our waterways, and saving local businesses money. Food service establishments are required to post signage about the Upon Request Law.

Single use foodware accessories include: straws, utensils, chop sticks, condiment cups and packets, salt and pepper packets, cup sleeves, cup lids, and napkins, provided with ready-to-eat food and designed to be used once and then discarded.

Effective September 2, 2023, Westchester will require consumers to request the single-use foodware items they need. This includes when ordering in person, online or through a food delivery app.

The new legislation states:

• No food service establishment shall provide single-use foodware or condiment packets to any dine-in or take-away customer unless specifically requested;
• Single-use plastic beverage stirrers or single-use plastic beverage “splash sticks” are no longer permitted. Retail stores may sell packages or boxes of single-use plastic beverage stirrers or single-use plastic beverage splash sticks;
• When requested, single-use foodware items or condiment packets must be provided individually and not in a package containing multiple items.

Department of Environmental Facilities (DEF) and Department of Health (DOH) inspectors will be working to ensure compliance. Food service establishments in violation of the law may be subject to a fine: 1st-time violations will receive a $100 fine; 2nd-time violations will result in a $200 fine; 3rd-time violations will result in a $400 fine. However, there will be an initial education period during which Warning Notices will be issued in lieu of fines from September 2, 2023, until March 02, 2024. For more information for businesses, see the Fact Sheet for Business (in Spanish and Chinese) and the Upon Request information flyer (in Spanish and Chinese) suitable for printing to comply with the posting requirement of the Law.

All current DOH requirements for health and safety remain in effect. Utensils available in self-service containers for consumers must be in either: a single-use dispenser, placed handle-end up, or be individually wrapped. Questions about DOH requirements should be directed to the Westchester County Department of Health at (914)813-5000.

For more information, contact the Recycling HelpLine at (914)813-5425.

In Fall 2020, Westchester County's Department of Environmental Facilities (DEF) established the Residential Food Scrap Transportation and Disposal (RFSTAD) Program. DEF saw the need to establish a program that would ease the financial burden for local municipalities to connect with local food scrap programs, and recognized that the transportation to and disposal of food scraps constituted the largest barrier to these programs in many communities.

DEF established RFSTAD to assist municipalities seeking to start or maintain food scrap programs. Under RFSTAD, District municipalities pay a subsidized rate for the transportation and disposal of food scraps collected by the municipality either through drop-off or curbside collections. This subsidized rate makes the processing of food scraps cost neutral or provides a cost savings when compared with municipal costs to process municipal solid waste. RFSTAD also allows for the bulking of food scraps with a goal of reducing greenhouse gasses created during the transportation of the food scraps to an organics recycler.

An interactive dashboard is available to view highlighting RFSTAD site-drop locations and year-to-date data (creation of this dashboard was partially supported by New York State DEC Organics Reduction & Recycling Program grant).

BPI Certified Compostable Service-Ware:

We ask residents to try to limit the use of all compostable service-ware and compostable bags to the extent possible. Even though compostable service-ware and bags disintegrate over time at commercial scale compost facilities:

• Some Compostable service-ware may not disintegrate fast enough to be composted: Although BPI Certified Compostable service-ware will disintegrate at a commercial composting facility over time, some types of service-ware (cutlery for example) may persist for a longer period of time then the lifecycle of the compost pile at a facility. In the end, if the service-ware has not fully disintegrated, it will be discarded after the compost is screened. 

• Excessive amounts of service-ware may negatively effect the compost process:  Service-ware degrades primarily as a result of thermal activity from a compost pile, and does not provide a significant food source for the composting process. Excessive amounts of service-ware may affect parameters such as the Carbon to Nitrogen ratio of a compost pile, which may in turn inhibit the composting process to some degree.  

• Compost facilities have difficulties distinguishing between Compostable and non-compostable service-ware. Large quantities of trays, cups and cutlery may be determined by the facility operator to be contamination (as it is difficult to distinguish between plastic and BPI compostable unless under close examination). Most facilities do not have the staffing or the technology to differentiate. As such it may be discarded upon receipt.

• Excessive use of service-ware may indirectly increase contamination levels in the food waste stream: For example; some food scrap drop-off participants who bring food scraps to the drop-off may see compostable service-ware in the drop-off bin and mistake it for plastic, and may come to the conclusion that it is okay to drop-off non-compostable plastic utensils and cups at the drop-off.  Plastic contamination is one of the most difficult challenges for compost facilities, especially small facilities such as the one that the county relies on.

• Minimize use of compostable bags, when possible. The use of compostable bags also poses problems for smaller compost facilities which do not have the capacity to de-bag the food waste. Though BPI Compostable bags do break down rapidly, the widespread practice of using bags inhibits the composting process. This is because closed bags prevent food waste from mixing with yard waste at the facility, which is required for effective composting. For this reason, we ask residents to consider other options for storing and transporting food scraps such as using a brown paper bag liner for their table top food scrap receptacle, or freezing or refrigerating food scraps and transporting them to a drop-off in a reusable container. If it is absolutely necessary to use a BPI Compostable bag, we ask that residents rip the bag open or cut the bag open at the drop-off, or alternately refrain from tying the bag closed prior to bringing the food scraps to the drop-off site. 

Contact your local municipality for more information about recycling food scraps. 

DEF, in partnership with HELPSY, further expanded the County's Textile Program to provide curbside textile services to all residents. This service enables residents to schedule free pickup appointments on designated service days and it’s all aimed at encouraging residents to contribute to a greener future by responsibly disposing of their clothes, shoes, towels, rugs, and other textile materials. Contact your local municipality about joining the program and for more information. 

As of Dec. 2021, Westchester County DEF, in collaboration with HELPSY, has expanded the County's textile recycling program at the H-MRF. Accepted materials include any type of material composed of natural or synthetic fibers such as products made from wool, silk, linen, cotton, polyester, leather, vinyl, hemp, and rayon. Please bag all textiles prior to drop-off.

Drop-offs can be scheduled by convenient appointment online, or by calling the Recycling HelpLine at (914) 813-5425. The Recycling HelpLine is available seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The following items can be dropped off at the H-MRF in any condition (torn, worn, stained, missing buttons, broken zippers, etc.) as long as they are clean, dry, and odorless.

Footwear (in pairs):

• Shoes
• Heels (wedges, pumps)
• Flats
• Sandals
• Flip Flops
• Boots (all varieties)
• Sneakers
• Cleats
• Slippers

Clothing:

• Tops (T-shirts, blouses, shirts, tank tops)
• Sweaters
• Sweatshirts
• Dresses
• Outerwear (coats, jackets, blazers)
• Bottoms (pants, slacks, jeans, sweatpants, skirts, shorts)
• Suits
• Socks
• Pajamas
• Intimates (slips, bras, underwear, socks)
• Baby Clothing
• Sports Jerseys

Accessories:

• Hats
• Bags (pocketbooks, backpacks, duffle bags, totes)
• Belts
• Gloves
• Ties
• Scarves
• Bathrobes
• Jewelry

Linens:

• Sheets/pillow cases
• Blankets
• Comforters
• Curtains/Drapes
• Aprons
• Dish cloths
• Cloth napkins
• Table linens
• Comforters
• Quilts

Compost Giveback events
In the Spring and Summer of 2024, DEF hosted 5 compost giveback events and distributed nearly 1,000 bags of high quality, screened compost! Check back soon for updates about future events!

CompostED Facility
The CompostED facility, located on the Grasslands Campus in Valhalla, is the County’s first small-scale food scrap composting demonstration and education site. Construction broke ground in December of 2020 and officially opened on Earth Day 2021.

The facility composts up to two tons of food scraps a week and also serves as a valuable educational opportunity for County residents, students, and municipal officials. At the facility, visitors can learn about the environmental benefits and process of composting and also explore how local municipalities can incorporate food scraps into existing organic yard waste composting sites.

School Groups
Interactive tours are available for school groups where students will be able to take and record compost temperatures, mix compost ingredients, hand screen and flip compost piles. Tours will offer a hands on learning experience diving into all the benefits of composting, the importance of diverting food waste from the waste stream and how to recycle food waste in Westchester County!

If your school or class is interested in participating in a compost tour, or more information about the CompostED program, please send an email to