Reuse, reduce, and recycle, but what about composting? Reuse, reduce, and recycle, but what about composting? Tina Wang / Staff Illustrator With indoor dining set to resume soon and the city slowly coming back to life, many wonder about the precarious future of New York City’s composting program. By Irene Madrigal | February 10, 2021, 8:46 PM The three R’s of sustainability: reduce, reuse, and recycle. These practices are essential for a green future, but more often than not, composting is forgotten in the mix. Compost is organic material that can be added to soil to aid the growth of plants. It is composed of water; “browns” such as dead leaves, branches, and twigs; and “greens” such as grass clippings, vegetable waste, and fruit scraps. While promoting plant growth, composting also helps to reduce the amount of garbage in landfills and incinerators, create local green jobs, and sequester carbon by storing it in the soil, as opposed to having it released into the atmosphere.