In an abrupt backtrack, Mayor Eric Adams’ administration in recent days has exempted most of New York City’s residential buildings from being fined for violating the composting law, which mandates that food scraps and yard waste be separated from the rest of the trash.
Mike Hastings, 41, has lived in Western New York his entire life. His home, which he shares with his wife and three children, is situated on 170 acres of forested land near the town of Allegany. The property is home to a winding creek and a diverse range of wildlife, including bears, coyotes and foxes. It also contains 80 abandoned oil wells, remnants of a 19th-century drilling boom in the region.
