Battery Park City runs a successful dog waste composting program open to all New Yorkers and their pups. (Video produced by Kay Angrum)
There is nothing glamorous about picking up dog poop.
But, as dog owners, we do it anyway, because our four-legged friends can't do it themselves — and put simply: it's the right thing to do. In Battery Park City, how you dispose of your dog's stool is just as important as getting it done.
The Battery Park City Dog Waste Composting Program consists of maintenance teams that collect, test, sort, and compost waste daily before eventually applying it to park grounds.
"By composting the dog waste, we're sure about it not ending up in a landfill, not ending up in the stormwater drains or in waterways, and we're turning it into something that ultimately goes back into the soil," Ryan Torres, Vice President of Parks Operations for Battery Park City Authority, told NBC New York.
The Battery Park City Authority (BPCA) launched the pilot program during Climate Week 2019 to further their sustainability efforts. Since then, they've been able to process thousands of pounds of dog waste into compost.
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That dog waste, and especially one in the plastic bag, creates methane gases that are not good for our environment.
Ryan Torres, VP of Parks Operations for Battery Park City Authority
Local
"We've collected over 5,500 pounds of dog waste to date," Torres said, adding that they've still got a long way to go.
Earlier this year, the authority expanded the program outside the City's three dog runs and into the park. "It has been a successful pilot. So, now we do it consistently," said Torres.
In all, it's a year-long process where the cured dog waste sits inside of a fully-enclosed composting system, anywhere between 7 and 12 months to bake.
BPCA tells NBC New York that they are in the process of implementing a new system that would speed up this process moving forward.
"Typically, when we pick up our dog waste we put it in a plastic bag that ends up in the landfill," Torres said. "That dog waste, and especially one in the plastic bag, creates methane gases that are not good for our environment."
It's just the kind of problem Van Calvez of Green Mountain Technologies (GMT) has a passion for solving.
Earth Cube: A Planet for Microbes
Composting is a bacterial process where things are heating up and happening at a microscopic level.
"We can take pet waste and make it into something that's beneficial and beautiful," Calvez told NBC New York.
A zero waste guy himself, Calvez developed the Earth Cube that Battery Park City Authority uses now to compost pet waste. The cube is a repurposed container made out of polyethylene plastic. "It's the same thing that milk jugs are made out of," but on a much larger scale.
The goal of the Earth Cube is to create the perfect conditions for the trillions of microbes (also known as bacteria) to live, thrive, eat, and in turn produce good quality compost.
The hope is that gradually more communities will adopt similar eco-friendly techniques that would make landfills obsolete. For Calvez and GMT clients like Battery Park City Authorit, that work doesn't stop at the dog run.
Everything has to be recycled in order for life to continue.
Van Calvez, Earth Cube Developer at Green Mountain Technologies
Calvez admits food waste is still a top priority, but that it's now important for cities to adopt programs like this one that encourage people to think about other ways they can pitch in to help.
"Everything has to be recycled in order for life to continue," Calvez said. Pet waste included.
What is Battery Park City's Dog Waste Composting Program?
Launched in 2019, the Battery Park City Dog Waste Composting Program creates nutrient-rich compost from dog waste and a mix of newspaper or wood chip materials. That then gets applied to gardens in a safe and sustainable way. It also diverts fecal and plastic waste from ending up at landfills.
Where can I deposit my dog waste in Battery Park City?
There are 8 locations where you can deposit dog waste in Battery Park City. All three dog runs have a dog waste receptacle, including three across the Esplanade, which runs along the Hudson River.
BPCA provides scoops and newspaper to dispose of the poop in a designated bin.
The North End Dog Run is located at Liberty Green, 300 North End Ave, New York, NY 10282
How much dog waste is collected every day?
An estimated 75 lbs. is collected every day, according to a BPCA study. That's 27,375 lbs. of dog waste per year.
Is it safe?
Yes. Also, at this time, BPCA says their dog waste compost is not put in highly-populated areas with children and other dogs.
For more BPCA Earth Week activities, click here.
