Transformation

If you've somehow found yourself here at this blog, you may wonder what it's all about. It started out in 2013 as a personal blog documenting observations made while composting ("Sisterhood of the Traveling Worms") but then morphed into a visual history of Sunny Compost, a community composting site in Queens. From 2012 to 2020, a group of community members joined together to collect food scraps from neighbors and process it for use in the garden where the compost site is located or in neighborhood trees and other local spaces. 

The blog documented some of those efforts which included many community workshops about composting. We took photos and videos of our efforts. It's a real tribute to the people who helped out and made the compost happen. Prior to 2012, food scraps were being collected here as well and the site wouldn't have existed without those true compost heroes.

In 2020, the site transformed again in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. You can read all about the new beginnings, name change and community advocacy taking place at https://www.woodsidesunnysidecomposting.org.  Learn about the Rusty Wheelbarrow Farm, find links to all social media sites, and of course, click on the volunteer link.

Can't wait to see what's next with WSC.

Composting in the age of Social Distancing

SunnyCompost is adjusting to the age of COVID-19. As the state went into lockdown mode, we closed. Because some people continued to drop off bags of food scraps, our volunteers processed them to prevent the attraction of pests. 

This week, with the news of NYC suspending its residential compost collection until June 2021, we decided to "reopen" officially but with precautions and strict guidelines.

• The gates of the community composting area are closed, but the bin is out to collect food scraps on Sundays between 2 and 5.  We ask that you leave no scraps at any other time.
• Wear gloves and a mask/scarf over your nose and mouth when you drop off your scraps. Protect yourself and others around you. People can carry Covid19 and not know about it!
• When opening the bin and emptying your container or bag,  take your empty container back with you, and if disposable, discard in your home's garbage receptacle. The gate will remain closed so you won’t be able to rinse out your containers in the garden.
• We put in place 4 tape markings on the sidewalk for people to respect the physical distancing 6 feet (or 2 meters). 

On Sunday April 26th, we received about 3 times our usual amount of drop-offs, which after processing totals approximately 50 gallons of food scraps that were diverted from the landfill and will not produce Methane, Nitrous Oxide (greenhouse gases more potent than CO2), less CO2, less to none H2S (Hydrogen Sulfide), and less volatile organic compound emissions.

We also sifted finished compost to produce 35 gallons of black gold!

We appreciate your support in helping us stay safe and continue to divert your food scraps to produce amazing compost. Together, we can do this.

Stay safe!

Sifting in the new year!

Our amazing volunteers recently repaired this roto-sifter, adding legs and firming up the handle and all parts. Check out the video of the refurbished sifter in action.  It's a great tricep workout for sure and quite efficient - we sifted nearly all of the contents of the black unit seen here in 30 minutes or less.

The Joy of Composting

Sunny Compost Compost Put to Good Use!

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This past weekend, Sunny Compost donated about 140 gallons of compost to Big Reuse 

for use with a street tree care project in Sunnyside with PermiasNYC, the Indonesian Student Association.

We are so happy to work with our compost friends in our community.

Fall/Winter Hours Begin 11/3/19

Beginning on Sunday, November 3, 2019 drop-off hours for SunnyCompost are from 

2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Photos from Open House June 2019

Thanks to everyone who joined us and especially to
all of our sifters! We sifted an entire bin full of finished compost!

SUNNY COMPOST’S OPEN HOUSE!

SUNNY COMPOST’S OPEN HOUSE!
From  1pm - 5pm 

Join us for some compost fun, 

snacks and 

a workshop at 2:00pm 

                         At Sunnyside Community Garden corner of 50th street and Barnett Ave.

Spring Forward with SunnyCompost!

Yes, it's that time of year - time to spring forward and expand our drop-off hours to 2-4. This time of year is welcome as we realize we've made it through the winter. Our compost bins are full and we look forward to warmer temperatures, new volunteers, more workshops for the community and welcoming of all visitors.

SunnyCompost website

https://twitter.com/SunnyCompost 

SunnyCompost Blog

December 2018

 As 2018 nears its end, SunnyCompost continues to process our community food scraps. Today was a cold day but we had 23 drop-offs!! We filled two of our tumblers with our recipe of leaves and food scraps. Our three bins are full and active. We have two large containers full of compost ready to be sifted. It's amazing and beautiful and a true reflection of community.

Today was an example of how we work - three core members were there chopping, processing, emptying tumblers, turning bins - three core members stopped by, checked in, dropped off - a new volunteer, a high school student earning community service hours came by with her parent to help out. We pitch in, help out, and keep the compost flowing.

A member of a local running club dropped off food scraps and left a flyer for a fundraiser being held nearby to raise money for homeless people. We told everyone who dropped off and then stopped by ourselves to check it out. What fun to run into other composters.

SunnyCompost is grateful to all of our community members who drop off food scraps on Sundays. We appreciate our Community Garden friends who help us with putting the bin out and obtaining leaves from Sunnyside Gardens Park.  Our leaf bin is filled to the brim!

Stay tuned for a sifting party invite - we need one for sure!

New hours for Fall & Winter Begin on November 4th

Beginning on Sunday, November 4, 2018, drop-off hours for SunnyCompost are from 

2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Lucky

Bats in the Compost

Compost of the Dolls

 Today a new volunteer found this doll arm while we were sifting.  It turned out to be a good tool for scooping up worms and putting them back in the compost bin.

How did it end up in the compost?
The most plausible theory is that it was in a bag of leaves we received months ago. We use the leaves for our 'browns' or carbons. We receive many of our leaves from a nearby park and often find a wide range of items. So it's possible the doll arm was separated from the doll somehow and ended up in a bag of leaves. But who knows? What's clear is this doll arm is not going to break down or decompose for a very long time. It's already been in our compost bin for approximately three months and looks to be in perfect shape (for a doll arm.)

Help us identify these other items we came across today while sifting.

SunnyCompost 2018 Expansion

 Before and after photos

  

Summertime is for Composting! Volunteers Needed!

Greetings Community,

I hope you are all keeping cool in this hot and humid weather. I wanted to reach out and thank all that have been dropping off their food scraps.  
It is so wonderful to know that people are diverting their food scraps from the land-fill and helping to create something nutrient rich for our earth. 
As many of you know this compost site is completely volunteer run.  The summer months become a bit of a challenge because many people go on vacation. I am reaching out to ask for your help. 
 We need more volunteers. If we don't get volunteers we can't continue to run the site. All we ask is for a bit of your time. The more hands we have the easier the load. So come on out. I will be there this Sunday, July 23rd at 2:00 if anyone would like me to show you how things get done.Hope to see you soon.All the bestMaddy

Also here is a little reminder of what to compost. 

Please remember:

• NO plastics or non-biodegradable materials
• REMOVE stickers from fruit and vegetable peels
• take your containers back with you.

Accepted materials include:

•  fruit and vegetable scraps,    
•  non-greasy food scraps (rice, pasta, bread, cereal etc.),
•  coffee grounds & filters, tea bags,
•  egg and nut shells, pits,
•  cut or dried flowers, houseplants and potting soil.

 We do NOT accept meat, chicken, fish, greasy food scraps, fat, oil, dairy, animal waste, litter or bedding, coal or charcoal, coconuts, diseased and/or insect-infested houseplants/soil or biodegradable/compostable plastics.

Perfect day at Sunny Compost

Snow Doesn't Stop Sunny Compost

How do you Store & Transport your Food Scraps? Let us count the ways!

Another year of composting at Sunny Compost!

Wow, 2015 flew by! With our weather feeling more like springtime, it's even harder to believe we have reached the end of the calendar year.

Sunny Compost has provided our community with a local food scraps drop-off site for over three years, continuing the hard work started by Peter Richter before us.

This year's accomplishments:

• Built a nifty sifter! (Thanks William and Alvin!)
• Held our 4th annual Open House/Smashing Pumpkin event
• Hosted participants of the Queens Compost Bike Tour in June
• Held a Compost Workshop for PS 11 students (Thanks Maddie!)
• Participated in Open Bin NYC in May as part of International Compost Awareness Week
• Started a Twitter account - Follow us @SunnyCompost\
• Started our Snacks & Sifting Sundays on the last Sunday of each month
• Produced more compost than ever and used it in the community space on Barnett Avenue

We are grateful to all who help us - Sunnyside Community Garden members, Sunnyside Gardens Park, NYC Compost Project, Big Reuse, NYC Department of Sanitation, Woodside Neighborhood Association, PS 11, and all of our dedicated volunteers.

Reminders:

• Sunny Compost is open year round. Our drop-off hours are on Sundays from 2:00 - 4:00 from November through February and then 2:00 - 5:00
• If the weather is rough or if we don't have any volunteers, you may place your food scraps in the black bin outside the gate.  As always, please take your plastic bags or other non-compostables with you.
• Big Reuse food scraps drop off at the Skillman Avenue Greenmarket is  open year round! Sunnyside Greenmarket  Saturdays, 8 am-2 pm YEAR ROUND
  Skillman Ave between 42 and 43 Street (http://www.bigreuse.org/compost/drop-sites
• We have finished compost if you need any. Makes for a unique gift! 
• We welcome new volunteers. Our sign-up sheet is online.  

Thank you for being a part of our community's compost program!