Lower East Side Ecology Center

Founded in 1987, the Ecology Center was born out of a deep passion for environmental conservation and restoration by co-founders Christine Datz-Romero (Executive Director) and Clyde Romero. Leveraging a people-powered approach, the organization began as a small collection center for recyclable materials in the Lower East Side and has since expanded to offer high-impact community composting, stewardship, environmental education, and electronic waste (e-waste) recycling programs with a citywide footprint. A pioneer in New York City’s environmental sector, the Ecology Center was collecting recyclable goods six years before the implementation of a citywide recycling program. In 1990, the Ecology Center expanded to offer a Community Compost Program and demonstrated its direct benefits by transforming a 15,000 square foot vacant lot into a beautiful landscaped community garden. In 1994, the Ecology Center expanded collection of compostable food scraps to the Union Square Greenmarket, the largest farmer’s market in the city, raising awareness of composting in the city. The Ecology Center now collects food scraps at ten locations in Manhattan, processing all materials in East River Park since 1998. As the Ecology Center moved into East River Park in 1998, it also entered into a partnership with the NYC Department of Parks