Big Reuse’s Salt Lot composting site has reopened!
The site has long been a place where composting and community education come together. Located in Gowanus, this space was created to give food scraps and yard waste a second life as compost, beneficial for strengthening NYC soils and trees, while bringing NYC residents closer to the process of composting itself. Over the years, Big Reuse has hosted workshops, volunteer days, and educational tours that made composting feel accessible, hands-on, and rooted in the neighborhood. It has been more than a processing site. It has been a shared space for learning, collaboration, and connection.
With its reopening, the mid-scale composting site continues its mission on an even larger scale. Located at 22 2nd Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11215, the site operates as a community composting hub capable of composting up to 600,000 pounds of residential food scraps, yard waste, and wood chips each year, right here in Brooklyn.
By processing organic material locally, the Salt Lot helps reduce waste sent to landfills and lowers the environmental impact of transporting food scraps long distances. This work plays an essential role in building a more resilient city. The compost produced supports healthy soil, helps street trees grow stronger, improves urban green spaces, and enhances stormwater absorption, which is especially important in flood-prone areas like Gowanus. By turning everyday food scraps into a valuable resource, the Salt Lot helps close the loop between what we throw away and what our environment needs to thrive, showing the real impact community-scale composting can have on neighborhoods and environmental health.
The Salt Lot is also a place for people to get involved. Through our weekly Salt Lot volunteer events, neighbors can help maintain compost piles, learn how a mid-scale composting system works, and take part in building a more climate-resilient NYC. Volunteer with us every Tuesday from 10:30am - 12:30pm. Check out our Eventbrite for the latest RSVP link. See all of our upcoming volunteer opportunities across boroughs here.
Big Reuse also hosts a weekly Salt Lot Tour every Friday from 4pm-5pm. Check out our Eventbrite for the latest RSVP link. During the tour, you will learn about composting and Big Reuse's various waste diversion and community engagement efforts. Come get all of your compost-related questions answered!
You can also bring your food scraps and yard waste to the Salt Lot, dropping it off at our Food Scrap Drop-Off site located right outside the fence. The green bins are available at 22 2nd Avenue in Gowanus, Monday through Friday from 10pm-4pm. You can drop off fruit and vegetable scraps, yard and plant waste, coffee grounds, tea leaves, and brown paper. To help keep the site clean and running smoothly, we’re unable to accept meat, bones, dairy, or plastic containers.
If the bins are not out, we ask that you please do not leave scraps on the sidewalk.
Big Reuse’s food scrap drop-off sites offer a simple, local way to compost. These community-based sites turn food scraps into compost that supports local green infrastructure, helping residents see the benefits of composting up close. By keeping community composting options accessible year-round, Big Reuse’s program helps support NYC neighborhoods while keeping food waste and yard waste out of landfills.
Written by NYSERDA Fellow Tatiana Guerra