All New York City businesses now required to use lidded trash bins
NEW YORK -- Starting Friday, you may be seeing more lidded trash bins citywide; the Department of Sanitation is requiring them for all businesses now, after only implementing them in food establishments last summer.
Put a lid on it, or else your business will be fined, starting now.
"I'm kicking stuff out of my way to get to my store. Just trash that people leave. It's insane," said Gina Terigo, manager of Ina in Nolita.
Trash from nearby businesses always ends up at her storefront, she says, so she's hoping the required lidded bins for businesses puts a lid on it all.
"I was talking to the owner, she said, 'Of course, we have to get a bin today.' I didn't even realize. I'm so happy," she said.
"It's an investment that we're asking businesses to make for the cleanliness of our neighborhoods and our streets," DSNY Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.
Tisch hopes this requirement will bring what she describes as dignity and order to city sidewalks.
Early last August, we told you about food-related businesses needing lidded bins, and as of Friday, it's officially expanded to all businesses citywide. Those who don't comply will have a starting fine of $50; that'll go up to $200 by the third offense.
"The city should just hire more workers. They should just hire more people to clean the streets," Bronx resident Julian Rochez said.
Rochez works in maintenance and believes more bins will bring more trash from passersby and residents.
"Just dumping things freely in the middle of the night, which causes issues for people who work in these facilities and these buildings," he said.
But Tisch says complaints about rats have gone down 16% since the first rollout of the rule.
"And getting them to go down in those numbers with that relatively small intervention is a very good sign about the prospects for the success of this new rule," she said.
"I just want a clean city ... Come on, we all deserve it, but we all have to help," Terigo said.
The DSNY will roll out a similar rule across residential buildings with one to nine units in them starting this fall.
