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Watermelon rinds, greasy pizza boxes, and yard trimmings. In many cities, these items would head straight to a landfill. But in New York, they are the raw ingredients for something surprisingly valuable: "black gold." "We're making this awesome compost that we can use throughout the city and improve soil health," said Jennifer McDonnell, Deputy Commissioner for Solid Waste Management at the New York City Department of Sanitation. At the Staten Island Compost Facility, managed by Denali Water Solutions, landscaper waste has long been processed - but it now also handles residential organic waste. On an average day, the facility takes in 100 to 150 tons of organic material, going up to 250 tons when leaf fall is heavy. Upon arrival, the waste is shredded, screened, and transferred into aerated static pile bunkers where composting begins. The piles heat up to over 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8°C), hot enough to kill pathogens and weed seeds. Over the course of several weeks, fungi, bacteria, and insects break down the material. After curing and screening, the end product forms a dark, nutrient-rich compost. The city sells some to landscapers and distributes the rest free of charge to residents, schools, and community gardens. "We've given out, we think, almost 6 million pounds of compost to the residents of New York City this year," McDonnell said. The compost helps improve soil health, manage stormwater, and keep city greenspaces thriving. Nationwide, food scraps and yard waste are the largest share of household trash, according to the National Resources Defense Council. When sent to landfills, they generate methane, a potent greenhouse gas. "If we want to take a bite out of the climate crisis, we've got to get our food scraps out of landfills and into composting," said Eric Goldstein, New York City Environment Director at the council. The city's organics collection program requires all residents to separate food scraps, food-soiled paper, and yard waste from trash. While enforcement was paused earlier this year, it is expected to resume in 2026.

Trent, Tata Group’s retail star that delivered a staggering 640% return in five years, is losing steam. The stock is down nearly 40% from its record high of Rs 8,345, and Kotak Institutional Equities warns it could slip below Rs 5,000, maintaining its Reduce call.The brokerage has slashed its FY2026–28 earnings estimates by 3–7%, citing slower same-store sales growth (SSSG) and muted revenue prospects. Kotak said that while the recent GST cut on apparel in the Rs 1,000–2,500 price range is positive, it is unlikely to materially lift Trent’s near-term growth.Westside, which contributes around 35% of Trent's standalone revenues, will see some impact. However, the company is expected to pass on the benefit to consumers. Zudio, with merchandise largely below Rs 1,000, remains unaffected by the tax change, it said in a note on September 10.The report flagged concerns about store densification. Trent has been expanding aggressively in existing cities, a move that could cannibalise revenue at older stores and keep SSSG under pressure. The company has added only 20 stores in the first half of FY2026, lower than the 26 stores added in the same period last year. Trent’s revenue growth has also been slowing, with quarterly SSSG falling from double digits in early FY2025 to low single digits by 1QFY26. Correspondingly, year-on-year revenue growth has eased from over 50% in FY24 to 20% in the latest quarter. Kotak now models revenue to grow at a slightly slower pace, trimming forecasts by about 2% for FY2026–28.Also read: Patanjali Foods shares crash 67%! But that's just opticalThe company's margins, however, are expected to remain steady. The company has benefited from RFID implementation across its supply chain, which has led to significant employee cost savings and improved efficiency. Kotak expects Trent to fully realise these benefits in FY2026, although the margin upside may taper off beyond that.Kotak considers valuations to be expensive against its revised growth outlook. With risks from store cannibalisation and slowing revenue momentum, the brokerage believes the stock may fall below Rs 5,000 in the near term and maintain its Reduce stance with a fair value of Rs 4,900. The new price target implies a downside of 6% from the last close of Rs 5,193. Also read: Oracle shares surge: Oracle shares surge 43%, co-founder Ellison tops Musk as world's richestAt about 2:30 pm, shares of the company were trading at Rs 5,153, lower by almost a per cent. Trent shares have slipped 27% on a year-to-date basis.(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of the Economic Times)