Dive Summary:

• Mayor Bloomberg will announce a plan to include collecting food waste, which will be contracted with a composting plant to oversee 100,000 tons of food material yearly.
• A new facility will be built to accommodate the expected growth in the food waste industry, and the administration will be accepting proposals from companies who will convert the food waste into electricity.
• The program will begin as a voluntary effort, with officials stating that eventually food separation and disposal will become mandatory, enforceable by fines.

From the article:

"Sanitation officials said 150,000 single-family homes would be on board voluntarily by next year... more than 5 percent of the households in the city. More than 600 schools will take part as well."

"Food waste and other organic materials account for almost a third of all residential trash, and the city could save about $100 million a year by diverting it from landfills..."

“When New York makes composting part of everyday life, every other city will follow through...”