Compost is gold for the growth of our gardens and the health of our trees and communities.
If you know it, let City Council know it too!
If we communicate that composting leaves – keeping 20,000 tons of organic matter out of landfills each year – is a priority to us, the residents of NYC, we have a much greater chance of seeing leaf compost collection reinstated next year by the City.
Councilwoman Arroyo has already expressed clear interest in holding a public hearing. While other Council Members are getting hip to the project, the only way to get real leverage is for you to voice support!
Every phone call you make adds serious momentum:
1 call = 1,000 online signatures.
And yet it’s one of the easiest things you can do:
1. Get the phone number: Find your Council Member here.
Feel free to use this script:
Hello, my name is ______________ and I am a constituent in your district.
I live at/in ___________ (street address or neighborhood).
I’m calling to urge Council Member _______ to support a public hearing on Leaf Compost Collection in New York City. Why Plant a Million Trees and trash those leaves, when we can harness this local resource to renew our soil? NYC has the means to do better. Don’t leave compost on the curb.
*** Calling after hours? Not a problem. You can leave a message (and yes, that counts too), but remember to include your phone number just to confirm that you are, indeed, a unique individual.
2. Send your councilperson a postcard: Find your Council Member’s address here.
Print out the postcard, fill out and send. One stamp is all it takes. If you need inspiration, take this script and run with it:
My name is ______________ and I am a constituent in your district concerned with the loss of Leaf Compost Collection in NYC. Compost is gold for the growth of our gardens and the health of our trees and communities. Why Plant a Million Trees and trash those leaves, when we can harness this local resource to renew our soil? Don’t leave compost on the curb: Support public funding for Leaf Compost Collection!
3. Tell the mayor, too!
4. Want to share the spirit?
Throw a shout-out party in your park or garden!
Email compost@nycleaves.org
and check back here for updates.
Thanks to Melanie Chopko for her pioneering project using a handmade telephone booth for call-ins: See here for photos and words that will make you want to create a booth for your garden!