New York City now has its own official trash bin; Here's when small residential buildings will have to start using them.
NEW YORK - The Adams administration is continuing its effort to clean up New York City streets, literally.
New York City's 8.3 million residents produce some 14 billion pounds of trash per year, according to officials. But the ubiquitous piles of garbage bags on New York City streets are soon to be a thing of the past, officials said. They announced Monday that all residential buildings with 1-9 units will be required to put their trash in containers as of Nov. 12.
Once the rule takes effect, officials say 70% of all trash in New York City will be containerized.
NYC now has it's own official trash bin
What's more, to make it happen, New York City now has its first-ever official trash, recycling and compost bins, which are designed to work with the city's fleet of sanitation vehicles.
"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."
"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."
Putting the trash in containers will also help combat the city's ever-present rat problem.
"With this next step in the Department of Sanitation's 'Trash Revolution,' New York City continues its efforts to systematically deny rats a curbside buffet and get black bags off our streets," Rat Czar Kathleen Corradi said.
The official bins have wheels and a latching lid. Officials tout it as "the cheapest bin of its quality available." The bins are available for purchase online, and bear the New York City Department of Sanitation seal.
The trash and recycling bins come in two sizes:
- 35 gallons, which costs $45.88
- 45 gallons, which costs $53.01
A 21 gallon compost bin costs $43.47. The city says the prices include shipping and handling, and is "a significantly lower price than similar bins at retail stores.
How the program will work
Buildings that already use containers to put out their trash have an 18 month grace period for replacing them with the official bin, as long as their existing trash bins are 55 gallons or less and also have a latching lid. As of June 1, 2026, those buildings will be required to use the official bin. The rule only applies to trash and compost bins, but recycling bins are also available for purchase.
Officials say bins should be ordered by Oct. 1 in order to have them in place by Nov. 12. Warnings will be issued to buildings not using the bins after Nov. 12 through the end of the year, and fines will follow as of Jan. 2, 2025. The fines are $50 for a first offense, $100 for a second, and $200 for each offense thereafter.
It's just the latest move in an effort to fight rats and clean up the streets. In 2023, the city changed garbage set-out times from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., and this year containerization took effect for businesses in the city.
There are more steps to come. In the spring of 2025, officials will install stationary, on-street containers as part of a pilot program in Manhattan's Hamilton Heights, Manhattanville and Morningside Heights neighborhoods. Those containers will be serviced by new DSNY trucks that have automated side-loading.
