Lower East Side Ecology Center

Name

Lower East Side Ecology Center

Legal name

The LES Ecology Center

Website

https://lesecologycenter.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Nonprofit founded in 1987 providing free composting, e-waste recycling, and environmental education programs to New York City residents across all five boroughs, funded by donations and grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Environmental Services

NAICS

Waste Collection (56211), Other Waste Collection (562119)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953)

akta.pro primary industry

Organics (Food/Yard) Collection (Residential & Commercial) (EUAIAAAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Organics & Composting Programs (Food Waste, Green Waste) (BPABALAC), Eco-Friendly Disposal, Recycling & Donation Hauling (HSAIAOAJ)

Keywords

• Community composting services
• E-waste recycling events
• Environmental education programs
• Urban sustainability services
• Textile recycling collection

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: The organization relies on donations from the public and likely receives grants from government agencies and environmental foundations to fund operations. Services appear to be provided free of charge to the community.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Lower East Side Ecology Center provides community-based environmental services in New York City, operating citywide e-waste and textile recycling collection events, fixed compost drop-off sites for food scraps, and environmental education programming including the Master Composter Certificate and Reuse and Reimagine workshop series. All services are offered free of charge to NYC residents to divert waste from landfills and advance urban sustainability.

Product overview

Lower East Side Ecology Center is a non-profit community organization offering environmental services focused on urban sustainability. The organization operates a portfolio of programs including community recycling events for e-waste and textiles, a citywide compost drop-off program, the Master Composter Certificate program for environmental education, and the Reuse and Reimagine Workshop series. These services work together to create an equitable, resilient, and sustainable city by providing unique composting and recycling services, environmental stewardship opportunities, and educational programming to all New Yorkers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Community Recycling Events

Quantifiable outcome

• Community recycling events held across all five NYC boroughs
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Bollinger MotorsminorOthers · 6 May 2025Bollinger Motors, a subsidiary of Mullen Automotive, delivered an all-electric B4 Class 4 commercial truck to the Lower East Side Ecology Center to support environmental initiatives including the compost program. The truck features a 158-kWh battery with 185-mile range and 7,325 pounds payload, upfitted with dry box and lift gate for urban operations.
• New York State Pollution Prevention InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Reuse and Reimagine Workshop Series - a collaborative program designed to empower community members with waste reduction skills while keeping materials out of landfills.
• Center for Wellbeing and HappinesscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorkshop venue partner for Reuse and Reimagine series and other educational programming. Located at 101 Avenue D, New York, NY 10009.
• NYC Compost ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerImplementing partner for NYC Compost Project, hosting compost drop-off locations and providing composting education and resources throughout New York City.
• NYS Department of Environmental ConservationminorOthersFunding provided by the Environmental Protection Fund as administered by NYS Department of Environmental Conservation for workshop series and educational programs.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• GrowNYC: GrowNYC operates NYC's Greenmarkets and extensive compost, recycling, and education programs including food scrap drop-off across the five boroughs. It is the closest direct nonprofit peer, sharing the same urban sustainability mission, volunteer-driven model, and NYC Compost Project partnership structure as the LES Ecology Center.
• Big Reuse: Big Reuse runs Brooklyn-based reuse centers, e-waste collection, and compost-related programming in NYC. It directly competes with the LES Ecology Center for community recycling events, donated materials, and the same pool of NYC sustainability grants and volunteer audiences.
• Earth Matter NY: Earth Matter NY operates the Compost Learning Center at Governors Island and runs community compost programming in NYC. It overlaps directly with the LES Ecology Center's composting, education, and volunteer training offerings within the same geographic market.

Emerging players

• Build It Green! NYC: Build It Green! NYC operates a reuse center in Queens selling salvaged building materials and accepting drop-offs, intersecting with the LES Ecology Center's e-waste/textile reuse programming and NYC grant-funded nonprofit positioning.
• FoodCycle NYC: FoodCycle NYC runs volunteer-powered food scrap collection routes and drop-off sites in Manhattan and Brooklyn. It is an emerging direct competitor in the food waste/compost drop-off space the LES Ecology Center has historically dominated.

Broad incumbents

• NYC Department of Sanitation (DSNY): DSNY is the municipal agency responsible for NYC's curbside organics collection rollout, school recycling, and citywide waste policy. It overlaps with the Center's mission and could increasingly absorb demand for community compost and e-waste services as city programs scale.
• Casella Waste Systems: Casella is a regional solid waste and recycling hauler operating organics and recyclables collection programs in the Northeast. While not active at the community-event level, it competes for the same municipal and commercial organics contracts that influence the broader NYC waste ecosystem.
• Waste Management (WM): WM is the largest North American waste and recycling services company with a growing organics and e-waste recycling portfolio. It represents the large-scale commercial incumbent whose expansion into urban organics collection could pressure community-based programs.

Regional players

• Sustainable South Bronx: Sustainable South Bronx runs urban green workforce, composting, and environmental justice programs in the Bronx. It is a like-minded nonprofit peer with overlapping community education and composting offerings but focused on a different NYC sub-region.
• Lower Hudson-Long Island Resource Conservation & Development Council: This council runs compost, recycling, and environmental education programs in the lower Hudson Valley and Long Island region. It is comparable in mission and nonprofit structure but operates outside NYC's five boroughs, making it a regional rather than direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/lesecologyctr
• Instagraminstagram.com/lesecologyctr
• Xx.com/lesecologyctr
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lesecologyctr

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lower East Side Ecology Center