Curbside composting has technically been mandatory in New York City since April 2025, but after being in effect for less than three weeks, the Adams administration and DSNY paused fines.

Then Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement that the decision was made so the city could "conduct additional outreach and education on composting."

It's unclear at this time how much outreach was done and many Brooklyn residents say they still don't know what composting is.

A spokesperson for DSNY says the agency began issuing tickets again in March and since then, more than 1,500 Brooklyn residents have been fined.

"People can’t even afford to live now but you’re thinking of punishing people for garbage, that don’t make sense," said Michael, a Canarsie resident.