Joyce Bialik on composting for healthy food access in low-income neighborhoods

Good morning, Chair and dog.

My name is Joyce Bialik, and I'm a member of the Manhattan Solid Waste Advisory Board, as well as We Act for Environmental Justice.

I'm here today to suggest how the city's support of composting can also support

one of the values of the mayor's grocery stores, namely making healthy foods accessible to low-income residents.

Many of the farms and gardens currently in our city do their own composting and use the compost to grow fruits and vegetables.

If clean, wholesome food scraps are used to make clean compost, we get clean, wholesome, nutritious fruits and vegetables.

Studies have shown that some of the chemicals found in produce not grown organically are forever chemicals and that small children and pregnant women are particularly vulnerable.

Currently, the city's farms and gardens are not distributed evenly across the city, nor are they selling their produce directly to the public or using some of their land to increase compost.

To create compost, the city could build a system that maps the current distribution of these farms and community gardens and subsidizes the development of additional

of additional

growing and composting facilities wherever possible in areas where they are lacking.

The city also should guarantee ongoing support for the compost facilities that currently exist.

Priority for the farms, gardens, and compost facilities would be given to low-income neighborhoods, and the city would develop a means for each customer to pay directly to the farm or garden

at a rate commensurate to that used in the city's grocery stores.

The city would monitor the growing and selling to ensure the availability of healthy, affordable products that are grown only with contamination-free compost from clean, wholesome food scraps.

Thank you.

Thanks so much, Joyce.