What We Do

ARROW has evolved from three people who were desperate to recycle in Queens into a volunteer-driven activist group that has launched dynamic hands-on projects that have made a positive difference in our environment and in our community. 
Some of our major projects:  ARROW Recycling Drop off Center in 1991; the ARROW Community Garden in 1993; the transformation of a junkyard and the creation of ARROW Park and Community Center in 2001; and the ARROW Building Materials and Reuse Center in 2003. We have held neighborhood cleanups, conducted surveys about environmental concerns and manned street fairs to spread the word about the importance of our local and global resources.

ARROW Projects

Click on each project name to read more about:

 ARROW Communty Garden

 ARROW Park

 ARROW Community Center

ARROW 2003 Building Materials and Reuse Center

  ARROW History

1991- "We NEED to recycle right here in the neighborhood!"
Frustrated with the absence of curbside recyclable collection, a small group of concerned residents of Western Queens came together in 1991 to find ways to recycle.  Working with local businesses to agree to a sidewalk site, and recycling end users to market the materials, the group assembled a volunteer staff and  began a regular bi-weekly collection.
ARROW became encouraged that our neighbors were willing to put effort into recycling, and we formed Astoria Residents Recycling Our Waste (A.R.R.O.W.)   for over two years, residents brought their recyclables to us, diverting hundreds of tons of paper, plastic, metal and glass from the New York City waste stream.    NYC Department of Sanitation implemented curbside collection throughout Queens in 1993, and happily, the project that A.R.R.O.W. had begun became “obsolete” 

A voice for recycling
Through working at the recycling site, our volunteers became interested in other waste issues and the economics of recycling and disposing of garbage in New York City.
ARROW members began to speak up as community activists.  In 1991 alone, group members held a recycling forum for the community, testified at City Council hearings, homeowners groups and neighborhood associations, and staffed environmental awareness information tables at street fairs. One volunteer created an educational program for school and youth groups; two others were appointed to the Queens Solid Waste Advisory Board and one to the Citywide Recycling Advisory Board –both newly created to oversee and advise NYC on waste reduction and recycling.  
In 2000, ARROW members joined the Waste Prevention Coalition, a group of non profits aimed at advocating legislation to reduce NYC waste.  In May of 2002, ARROW provided input and raised the funding for the Waste Prevention Coalition Report advising NYC of moreviable ways to reduce its waste stream. 

"Lets clean up this junkyard.."
In 2000, Arrow conducted a survey in Astoria to better understand the needs of the community.  Read more