NYC rolls out official trash bin, expands containerization to most residential buildings

New York City’s next step in its “trash revolution” is here: Wheelie bins. Mayor Eric Adams on Monday rolled out the city’s first-ever official trash bin, which has wheels and a rat-proof lid, and announced a new containerization mandate for certain buildings. Starting November 12, the city’s Department of Sanitation (DSNY) will require buildings with one to nine residential units to put trash in a bin. When the new trash rule goes into effect, the city will have containerized 70 percent of the city’s 14 billion pounds of annual trash since 2022, reducing the mounds of trash bags piled on the sidewalks and streets.

According to DSNY Commissioner Jessica Tisch, there are 765,000 residential buildings in New York City, and 95 percent of them have fewer than nine units. Of those, about half are single-family homes whose owners already use bins for trash. These owners can continue to use their own receptacles of 55 gallons or less until June 1, 2026, when the official NYC bin becomes mandatory for these properties.

The rule also applies to special-use buildings, including city agencies, houses of worship, and professional offices in residential buildings.

The city’s official bin, which costs two or three times less than retail price, according to Tisch, has a bar that makes it easier to collect by the new rear-loading “tipper” garbage trucks.

“Many property owners already use bins for their trash — and pay over $100 retail in order to keep the streets clean,” DSNY Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. “Well, we’ve got great news: at the same time that we’re moving to require containerization of trash for all buildings with one to nine residential units, we’re unveiling the official ‘NYC Bin’ — beautiful, durable, and less than $50 for the most common size.”

While the new bin requirements are only for trash and compost, official NYC green bins for paper and blue bins for metal, glass, plastic, and cartons are also available for purchase. The bins should be ordered by October 1 to ensure they arrive before the new container rule goes into effect on November 12.

A warning period will extend through the end of 2024 before the containerization requirement begins, with fines starting on January 2, 2025. In line with the existing commercial containerization requirements, the fine for placing trash in a secure bin of 55 gallons or less is $50 for a first offense, $100 for a second offense, and $200 for a third offense or more.

The DSNY will conduct public outreach through the summer, informing New Yorkers of the new rules through mailers, door-to-door canvassing, community and ethnic media outreach, and working with community boards and civic associations.

NYC’s new official trash bins are another step in the city’s effort to transform the way New Yorkers dispose of their garbage, clean up the streets, and fight rodent infestations.

“Today, we are tossing even more black bags into the dustbin of history and taking the next step forward in our ‘Trash Revolution,'” Adams said. “The first-ever, official NYC Bin is high-quality, affordable, and will build on our efforts containerizing more than 70 percent of the city’s trash to protect our most valuable and limited resource — our public space.”

As of March, all New York City businesses are required to containerize trash. The rule extends to low density buildings in November and by spring of 2025, on-street containers will be installed in West Harlem as part of the first full-district containerization pilot.

The district will be serviced by new automated side-loading trucks, unveiled by Adams earlier this year, that will allow DSNY workers to easily collect trash from large containerized bins at high-density residential buildings.

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