Resource Recovery - NYC DEP

Environmental Protection


Resource Recovery

Circular Economy

DEP is advancing New York City’s circular economy by recovering energy and nutrients from NYC’s organic waste, including food scraps and wastewater. A circular economy is a system focused on reusing materials instead of discarding them, with the goal of recovering materials previously seen as waste. At our Newtown Creek Wastewater Resource Recovery Facilty, we process food scraps in our giant mechanical stomachs (digesters) alongside sludge. This biological process produces biosolids, which can be used as fertilizer and biogas, a sustainable energy source.

Diverting Food Scraps from Landfills

Food scraps are collected at various places in New York City.

The scraps are processed at a slurry manufacturing facility.

We receive the processed scraps and store them next to our digesters!

Foods scraps that go to landfills decompose and release methane (a potent greenhouse gas). At Newtown Creek WRRF, our giant mechanical stomachs are co-digesting the organic materials in wastewater AND in processed food scraps, allowing us to capture more energy AND reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including methane.

Read more about Closing the Loop: When Wastewater Treatment Becomes Resource Recovery.

Biogas-to-Grid

We partnered with National Grid to convert biogas into clean, renewable heat. This innovative renewable energy project reduces greenhouse gas emissions and improves air quality. From April 2023 to November 2024, we produced over 319,000 MMBtu of Renewable Natural Gas (RNG), which is enough to meet the annual heating requirements of over 6,600 homes.

Current System Status

Co-digestion

Through the end of November 2024, we processed approximately 352,900 wet tons of food scraps at Newtown Creek WRRF that would have otherwise ended up in a landfill and emitted harmful greenhouse gases. This process combined with biogas-to-grid results in net negative greenhouse gas emissions, meaning that the total emissions avoided is greater than the emissions generated. These net negative emissions are achieved by avoiding the methane emissions associated with landfilling food scraps and replacing fossil natural gas with RNG. For more information about the emission reductions of the process visit: Modeling GHG Emissions From Source Separated Organics.

Reporting Metrics*

DEP processed almost 64,000 wet tons of organic material in November 2024, consisting of food scraps and sludge. The biogas-to-grid system was operational 96% of the time, which resulted in an 86% reduction in flaring compared to the amount that would have been flared if the system had not been installed. By converting food scraps and sludge to RNG, we reduced CO2e emissions by approximately 2,600 metric tons, equivalent to planting nearly 42,000 trees or not burning over 292,000 gallons of gasoline.

*DEP recently updated the methodology used to calculate the reduction in flaring. Starting in October 2024, the reduction reflects the monthly decrease in flared biogas compared to what would have been flared if the biogas-to-grid system had not been installed. Previously, DEP reported this value based on a comparison to 2022 flaring data for the same period. DEP is publishing this information on NYC Open Data.

System Performance

The biogas-to-grid system initially came online in April 2023. However, National Grid took the system offline in September 2023 to perform repairs and system adjustments related to common first-year operational issues. From January 2024 to November 2024, the system has been operational 88% of the time. Even when fully operational, the system will occasionally come offline for maintenance and emergency events.

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