Timely Announcements 

As of 2022, here are two new ways Nys is reducing waste

The Food Donation and Food Scraps Recycling Law mandates that

businesses and institutions that generate an annual average of two tons of wasted food per week or more must:

For more information, visit the official DEC page. You can also view all institutions, by name and location, that must recycle or donate their scraps on page three of this document. 


The Expanded Polystyrene Foam Container and Polystyrene Loose Fill Packaging Ban (or "Foam Ban") mandates that

Items banned from distribution and manufacture include: 

Examples of institutions the Foam Ban applies to include: 


how can i help? 

As the NYS Polystyrene Ban is already in effect, the types of containers and packaging fill you see from the institutions listed above will likely be reusable, recyclable, and/or compostable. Zero Waste Capitol District highly encourages you to remember that all items in single stream recycling should be clean (ie. rinsed of food waste) and dry prior to recycling. Visit our page, "Are You a Wishful Recycler?", for more information on how to avoid contaminating the recycling stream.