The Great Compost Heist: A Journey Through New York City's Trash Collection System

It was a typical night in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, as Paul and his team set out to collect trash from the streets. With their trusty truck at the ready, they were on a mission to gather as much waste as possible for composting. As they navigated through the bustling streets, they came across a peculiar question - "Are those going to be an nightmare audio-wise if I get seaweed snacks?" The team member's response, "Mmmm," was met with amusement from Paul.

As the night wore on, the team continued their rounds, collecting trash and recyclables. At one stop, they inquired about the presence of a film crew, which yielded a resounding "No." Another question, "Do I have seaweed on my face?" also received a negative response. However, when asked if they had muffin in their beard, the answer was a simple "No."

As the hours passed, the team grew tired but remained focused on their mission. With only two more stops left before heading to the dump, Paul's chipper demeanor kept the team spirits high. The first truck of the night had just arrived, and its contents were a mixed bag - egg-laden trash bags that would eventually find their way into the compost pile.

As they made their way to the dump, Paul reflected on the journey ahead. "So the end is nigh," he said, "This is the first time we're seeing night owls who are still partying. We must be in Williamsburg." The team laughed as they tossed the last trash bag into the truck, which had been the stinkiest one yet.

Upon arrival at the dump, Paul was greeted with a grand finale - the juices from the compost pile. "Oh, my God," he exclaimed, "The juices! I hope that when you guys edit this is set over some really dramatic classical music." The team member's enthusiastic response, "This is intense," only added to the excitement.

As they watched, the compost was fed into a million-gallon digester, where it would undergo a transformation. The resulting slurry would then be recycled and turned into mulch - a material that could help mitigate the effects of climate change. Paul reflected on their role in this process, saying, "You good? It's not very heavy. Not a lot of vegetables from Chick-fil-A." However, the team did discover that some surprises awaited them in the compost pile.

Among the treasures they found was coconut - likely left behind by a previous visitor to the dump. Paul's eyes lit up as he exclaimed, "That's coconut! Probably from last night. Wow, This is awesome." The team member's comment, "We went to Trenton Biogas and we followed your compost and we found out it creates enough biogas to power a single household for 100 days," was met with amazement.

The implications of this discovery were profound. With the help of microorganisms, even organic waste could be converted into energy. Paul mused, "That's just one night of trash. That's motivating." His words encapsulated the team's dedication to their work - changing how we consume energy and reduce our carbon footprint.

As they stood at the dump, Paul was asked if his job was essential. He replied, "I would say yes, because if people like us don't pick up the trash, what would these streets look like or smell like?" His words served as a reminder of the importance of their work in maintaining the health and beauty of New York City.

As they prepared to depart, Paul turned to his team and said, "Bye bye!" The sound of their truck driving away marked the end of another night in the life of New York City's trash collection system. Though it may not be glamorous, their work was crucial to keeping the city running smoothly - and creating a more sustainable future for all.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en“Did you see that?”I, like a lot of NewYorkers, compost.I put my orange peels andmy lemon peels and my littlecompost pail put it in mycompost bin, and I wondered --“Thank you.”-- what happens to it?Who is the personpicking up my compostand where is my compost going?What does it become?“Mmm.”Is it all worth it?“I can do it in one peel.We’re going to find out theanswers to all of that today.We are going to be meetingPaul, a sanitation truckdriver.Paul picks up mostlycommercial compost.So that’s compost from grocerystores like this and fromrestaurants.Do you know what I’m actuallyreally curious about?What are people throwing away?What have we got here?Whew.I’ve just got awhiff of something.We’re going to see who NewYorkers really are tonight.Hey, Paul.Just a normal dayon the job, huh?”“Hi, Priya.Nice to meet you.”“So nice to meet you.”“I brought you a little gift.”“Oh, my God.So this is just tomake sure that --”“You’re visible.”“I love it.So this is just the beginningof your shift, right?”“Yeah, I startabout an hour ago.”“I’m not going to lie.This is usuallywhen I go to bed.”“Oh!”“Can you show me wherethe compost bins are?Because I got peels for you.I got compost.This is where themagic happens.Ooh, it smells betterthan I thought it would.Can I just stickthis right in here?”“Yep.”“All right.So they saycompost smells bad,this smells like ajuice bar in here.”“It’s nice and cool.Wait until it’s 90 degrees.”“Can I roll this one?”“Oh, my God.You do it so easily.”“You’re strong.”“You’re generous, Paul.”“There we go.So you stick ithere, and here we go.So here go the gizmo now.”“Whoa.The first time you saw that,were you not like, Holy,garbage?”“Oh, well, I’ve beendoing it so long, so --”“You’re not fazed by it?”“No.”“You make it lookso easy, Paul.”“That’s good right there.Thank you.”“O.K. Which numberstop was this?”“9, I think.”“And how many morestops do we have to go?”“I think maybe about 40 more.”“O.K., 9 down 40 to go.”“You’re secure?”“Yep.I feel good.This is a nice rideyou’ve got here, Paul.”“Oh, thank you.This is really comfortable.I feel like we’re like Kingand Queen of the city rightnow.”“We’re so high up,we get to see.”“I know.It’s kind of awesome.O.K., let’s do it.So where are we now andwhere are we going?”“We’re in Ridgewood, which youcould say the border of Queensand Brooklyn.We’re going to be in Brooklynfor the rest of the night.”“So where in Brooklynare we going?”“We’re start in Bushwick,we go through Bed–Stuy,Flatbush, come back around tothe Navy yard and backto Williamsburg.”“How many tons of compost areyou collecting in a night?”“Maybe 12 tons tonight.”“12 tons a night, every day.I always wonder whathappens to my compost.Is it just ending up in alandfill like everything else,like my trash?Or is it going towardshelping the city in some way?”“I think that they useit to make fertilizer.”“So what happens after that?”“Well, I don’t know further.”“How do you even getinto a job like this?”“I’m rolling on mine.Can you give us one big clap?”“That’s a good clap.”“I’m wondering if you cantalk a little bit aboutyour upbringing in Jamaica.”“O.K. Born in1969, February 24.Birth in Lacovia, which is inthe parish of St Elizabeth.Small neighborhood, it’sthe breadbasket of Jamaica.Back in the ‘80s what iscalled the common entranceexamination and that awardyour position in the moreprestigious high school.”“How’d you do?”“About 30 of us who tookthe exam, six of us passed.I was the only boy.But only did threeyears, financial reasons.I started doing differentodd jobs -- work on farm,sugar cane plantation,work on trucks.Eventually work my way whereI find myself in tourism.And then at 21, I got mycommercial license and Istarted driving biggervehicles until I eventuallywas driving buses.”“One thing I’m curious about,what is compostable for you?”“Leftover food, spoiledfood, expired food.”“Meat and bones sometimes?”“Yes.Meat breaks down,it also liquefies.”“Where are we stopping at?”“Right here.”“O.K. Mr. Kiwi.We’re ready to go.”“There we go.If I stop 40, I’ll totallyhave the hang of it.Oh, my God.What’s in this one?Bet this one’s got like,whole melons or something.”“Just like ginger, carrot --smell.”“It smells nice.”“Yeah, it smells like ginger.”“Wow.That one lookslike a heavy one.”“Well, no, it wasn’tall that heavy.This is just corn.”“And is it O.K. thatthere’s cardboard in this?”“Well, yeah.These are little pieces.These will still break down.”“What about a plastic bag?”“Well, if you see bigpieces, then we take it out.But smaller one likethis, are fine.”“These are fine.”“The machine willseparate all of this.”“I mean, this is crazy.There’s a whole potato.Whole tomato.Like, why are peoplethrowing this stuff out?Ooh!This is a sight to behold.All right.Oh, there’s one more.Have you ever forgotten to putthis up and driven away withit down?”“Yes.”“And you knowwhen you remember,when you hear behind you,boom, boom, boom, boom.You hear that andI’m like, hmm, what?”“How often is it that you goby a place and they don’t havetrash?”“The pick up stores,they go every day.But some of the smallerones, every other day.”“Do they have any?Oh, yep.I see one.”“Priya, the safest way is tocome out backwards and youwant to be as straight aspossible because if you’resideways, you can flip.So you want -- no, you see?You want that straight.So if it’s very heavy,it’s going to flip.And two things -- couplethings can happen --you can hurt yourself or youdrop the bin and damaged otherproperty.”“Lesson learned.”“Ready?”“Oh, God.”“O.K., so usually whenit’s one, try to balance,put it in here.”“O.K., the center.O.K. It’s like parking a car.What have we got here?Oh, my God, more whole foods.It’s a whole banana, tomato.I was not expecting to seeso many whole vegetables.”“Well, there’s still moreyou’re going to see.”“There she blows.How’d I do?Good?”“Yes, perfect.”“These tips areall so helpful.Keep telling me what’s what.”“All right.”“What do we got in here?”“This is coffee.”“Wow.”“It’s a coffee shop.All right, here we go.”“O.K. I’m gettinga little better.What kind of pepper is this?”“Maybe scotch bonnet?”“Ooh, spicy.It really is a beautiful nightto be picking up compost.”“How many pounds doyou think that was?”“I think each of themwas like 300 pounds.”“350?”“Yeah.”“Sparling hops.”“Is there a brewery nearby?”“Right behind you.”“Hey, lady!All right.Take care.”“Who was that?”“I know her from Jamaica.”“Paul knows everyone.”“Well, what do you got here?Whole strawberries left todie or be turned into whateverit gets turned into.We’ll find out.On to the next.We are on stop 11, 12?Time is illusoryat this point.We have been coming on mostlyfood shops like bodegas,fruit stand.What have we got?These are wholecucumbers, carrots.Lots of juice ingredients,lots of lime peels,lots of bananas.I’m annoyed seeingwhole vegetables,but at least they’regetting composted.All right.Ooh.Wow.Those are hefty ones.What time is it?11:05, wow.Usually by this time,I’m fast asleep.”“So time to call wifey.”“You just check in andsee how she’s doing?”“Yeah, yeah.”“That’s really nice.”“I started driving forthese private individuals,which is JUTA, Jamaican Unionof Travelers Association.So happened went to the hotel.I was there to pick up theseguests to take them on a tour.So I saw this lady.There was two buses.She was not going on my bus,so I’m using the CB radio frommy bus, communicate with thetour guide in the other bus,passing message to her.”“So I’m assuming this isthe woman who would becomeyour wife?”“Yes.She is.27 years together.”“Where are we now?What neighborhood?”“I think we’re goinginto Flatbush.”“Flatbush.O.K. Fresh coconut.Wow.So many coconuts.Oh, man.I feel like I’m anembarrassment to my strengthtraining.So many coconuts.Someone put a wholesweet green salad.My God.I got these last one.I got it.Oh, my God.There is a whole watermelon.Why?Seeing all the coconuts.That’s very satisfying.”“You want to dotwo this time?”“O.K. Yeah.Yeah.Yeah.All right.Good?”“Good.”“Does this job everfeel invisible?”“So will past by, thank you.Do a great job.Others be like, cover theirnose and walk and just take itin stride.”“Nice.I feel like you got totake a bow or something.”“This is for me?”“That’s for you.Wow.”“Late night snack.”“This is exciting.When we go on vacation,this is my favorite thing.”“You’re a good basketballplayer, right?”“No, I’m a badbasketball player.”“All right, tryhitting the target,because if you go over mayhit and come in traffic.”“This is actuallyso humiliating.I have such badhand-eye coordination.O.K. All right.”“Ah!Yay!”“All right.That took all theathleticism I had in me.”“Hey how are you doing?”“Good.Can you see -- look, babe.”“Babe, you got alot of company.”“Yeah, exactly right.I’m at yourfavorite stop, baby.Coconut stop.Look yeah, theseboxes had coconuts.”“That’s your favorite spot.”“Hi.Hey.”“Hi.”“I’m riding along with yourwonderful husband today.”“Oh, can you understand him?”“Yeah, of course I can.”“Yes, baby.She lives in Brooklyn.So she -- she heard Jamaicatalking all the time.”“Fun.All right, we y’all take care.Be safe.”“We will.We will.Paul’s really making surethis is extremely safe,and I really appreciate it.”“All right.God bless.”“God bless.See you.”“All right, babe.Love you.Good night.”“Bye-bye.Love you.”“So you all came tothe US together?”“Yes.We came here in asmall apartment.And after three years ofwork, work, work, save money,we buy our own house.It’s been a journeygetting here.We’re happy.Got two wonderful children.We have a granddaughter.And we’re doing fine.Oh, my God.This is like a bottle ofwine’s worth of grapes.Was it shocking coming to thiscountry and seeing how muchwaste is generated here?”“No doubt.It brings back memoriesto when I was growing up,when we didn’t havemuch, if anything.There was 10 of us who grewup in a very small house.No electricity,no running water.”“Look at this.You can make pounds and poundsof saag paneer with this.”“My mother used to have tosend us to different neighborsto ask to borrow somesugar, rice, flour,something to be able tocomplete a meal for us to eat.It’s meat”“Oh, its meat.Ooh.Whew.Oh, my God.It just smells like onemillion farts in there.We’re about, what,halfway through?”“Yes, we have about20 stops left.”“How do you thinkPriya’s doing?”“Oh, yeah, Priya’s doing --she’s doing fine.I mean, I’m surprisedshe’s very strong.I mean, were youtraining for this?”“I have been lifting,things for asking,but nothing as heavy as this.”“O.K. All right.”“Is there a reason you,like, working in trashspecifically?”“It don’t talk back to you.”“The philosophy is 98 percentof everything is trash.When you’re conceived,there’s trash created;when you’re born, trash iscreated; when you’re growing,you create trash; when youpass away, you create trash.”“Trash is an inescapablepart of our lives.”“Exactly.Yes.When I come to workin the evening,I come with aclear, steady head.I’m considered a professionaloperating 20-ton truck.So there is greatresponsibility and noquestion, I don’ttake it for granted.I do operate with thatlevel of responsibility.”“Oh, here it is.Mr. CoCo.Coffee time.”“Hey, buddy!Am I on time?”“Which muffin areyou going to take?One of these.”“Corn muffin.”“Ooh, corn muffin.Nice.”“So what are yougetting, Priya?”“Oh, maybe someseaweed snacks?Are those going to be anightmare audio-wise if I getseaweed snacks?”“Mmmm.”“Do a lot of trash truckdrivers come by here?”“Yes.”“Not a lot of filmcrews, though?”“No.”“Do I have seaweedon my face?”“No.”“Wow.I cannot believe Imanaged to have --Do I have muffin in my beard?”“No.”“You good?”“Yeah, I’m good.”“All right.”“Let’s do it.What I wouldn’t do fora chicken sandwich.”“You good?”“It’s not very heavy.Not a lot of vegetablesfrom Chick-fil-A. Yep.As predicted, the primaryvegetables of Chick-fil-A --lettuce and tomato.It is just past4:00 in the morning.Bok Choy.Lots of it.I’m tired.Paul is chipper as ever.We’ve two more stops andthen we head to the dump.So the end is nigh.This is the first time we’reseeing night owls who arestill partying.We must be in Williamsburg.We just finished.The last trash bag wasthe stinkiest one yet.It had eggs.And now we’regoing to the dump.We’re done.We did it.We did it.We have arrived at the dump.I can’t believe we made it.It’s been seven, eight reallylong, but really fun hours.Paul is going to putall of that compost,dump it back here.It’ll go wherever it goes.Which we’ll findout about tomorrow.It’s really stinky.It’s the grand finale --what we’ve allbeen waiting for.Oh, my God.The juices!I hope that when you guys editthis is set over some reallydramatic classical music.”“This is intense.”“I see it.It’s coming out.It’s crazy to be able tovisualize the scale of it.We throw away all ofthis every single day.It’s honestly depressing, butat least this is going towardssomething betterthan a landfill.Just a whole ass watermelon.Paul, how many tons was that?”“Probably about 13 14.”“Between 13 and 14tons of compost.This is us, New York.It is nearly 6 o’clockin the morning,all that compost is headedto Trenton, New Jersey,where it will be processed,and we’ll find out whathappens to it.So we just got word thatthe truck left the facility30 minutes ago.We are going to intercept itand see what happens to those13 to 14 tons of compost.”“We’re walking ontothe truck scale,that’s where the truck’sgoing to come in and we recordtheir weight so we canknow how much it’ll be.So we have 30 tons of compostcoming in at one time.”“All right.Well, here it comes.Can you imaginefalling in to this?Has anyone everfallen into the pit?”“I’ve not heard anyreports of that.It’d be hard toget out, for sure.”“Oh, yeah.”“Just like that.”“Now that the productis in our pit,it’s going to befed into the plant.If you look overthere, that large tank,that’s one of our milliongallon digesters that’s filledwith about 75 percentof that slurry.And then when thegas is extracted,it’s sent over tothis large gas vessel.The slurry then we recycle,we turn it into the compost.What comes out is a materialthat’s kind of like mulch.”“Whoa.”“It’s just like soil.”“It’s really warm.Ooh.Paul doesn’t see this.Paul actually wasn’t entirelysure what happened to hiscompost.”“See this?That’s coconut.”“That’s coconut!Probably from last night.We were there.Wow.This is awesome.We went to Trenton Biogasand we followed your compostand we found out it createsenough biogas to powera single householdfor 100 days.”“Oh, wow.”“That’s just onenight of trash.”“That’s motivating.”“What you do is changinghow we consume energy.It’s literally changinghow we power our homes.”“Hopefully, we’ll see a wholelot more of this happening.So less stuff can go tolandfill and compose more --get more on the greenerside of generating energy.”“Do you think yourjob is essential?”“I would say yes, becauseif you think about it,if people like us don’tpick up the trash,what would these streetslook like or smell like?Hopefully, the mass willconsider us as part of thatessential fabric of what makesNew York City New York City.”“Bye bye!”\n"