York loves a narrative. “Sustainability.” “Impact.” “Circular economy.” Words polished enough to win grants, post on LinkedIn, and slap onto city slideshows in rooms where people who don’t cook, compost, or go hungry make decisions about food. The problem is the numbers tell a very different story.

New York City throws out an estimated 1.2 million tons of food every year. Not composted. Not donated. Thrown out. Perfectly edible food sits in black garbage bags next to apartment buildings where families are skipping meals. Meanwhile, more than 1.3 million New Yorkers struggle with food insecurity. Let that sit for a second. A city with Michelin-starred temples and $28 burritos can’t feed one in seven of its residents.

Before the excuses roll in, let’s be clear: this isn’t about capacity. New York has enough food to feed everyone. Its waste stream proves it. This is about logistics, bureaucracy, and priorities that keep resources locked away behind funding cycles, operational inefficiencies, and nonprofits clinging to their frameworks like franchises protecting IP.

For years the city has pumped millions into programs intended to reduce food waste and expand composting. DSNY’s composting program alone has burned through tens of millions in operating costs since its inception. Yet participation rates remain low, contamination rates high, and the actual outcome? A fraction of the potential impact. The city introduced mandatory curbside composting with the kind of optimism usually reserved for Times Square New Year’s Eve speeches. But bins sit unused. Bags go to landfill. And the system, as designed, assumes New Yorkers who barely separate recycling will suddenly become disciplined compost sorters.