Mayor Mamdani Takes Major Step Toward Citywide Trash Containerization, Announces Six New Districts

 

Six new districts containerized by end of 2027, with at least one fully containerized district in each borough; all trash off the streets by end of 2031  

  

High-density buildings will place their trash into stationary on-street containers known as Empire Bins  

Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani and New York City Department of Sanitation Commissioner (DSNY) Gregory Anderson announced today that six new Community Districts across the city will have 100% trash containerization by the end of 2027. This announcement means that eight of the city’s 59 districts will have zero trash bags on the streets next fall, with the administration committing to full citywide trash containerization by end of 2031.  

   

“In the wealthiest city in the wealthiest nation in the history of the world, no New Yorker should have their sidewalks covered in garbage. By finishing the job on containerization, we will ensure New York City’s streets remain the envy of the world,” said Mayor Mamdani. “We have the plan, we’re investing the money and we’re delivering on the promise of clean, healthy streets for every neighborhood.”  

  

“Containerization is a long overdue step in bringing our city’s trash collection into the modern era, putting an end to the piles of garbage that have become far too common across our city,” said Deputy Mayor for Operations Julia Kerson. “We will be hard at work rolling out this program throughout the five boroughs, keeping our public realm clean, safe and enjoyable for all New Yorkers.” 

  

“Neighborhood by neighborhood, we are ending the decades-long era of trash bags on the streets of New York City,” said Sanitation Commissioner Anderson. “Others have talked a lot about containerizing the city’s trash, but we are actually getting it done, delivering cleaner streets and sidewalks, and fewer rats, to every corner of the city.” 

   

Businesses and low-density residential buildings, including single-family homes, are already required to put their trash into smaller “wheelie bins.” Today’s announcement covers trash from higher-density residential buildings, whose building managers will put their trash into stationary on-street containers known as Empire Bins. These Empire Bins are assigned to individual buildings and accessible only to building managers. They will be serviced by North America’s first automated side-loading trucks.  

   

Medium- and high-density residential buildings in the following districts will receive Empire Bins by the end of 2027:  

• Brooklyn Community District 8 (Prospect Heights, Crown Heights, Weeksville)  

• Bronx Community District 2 (Hunts Point, Longwood)  

• Bronx Community District 5 (University Heights, Mount Hope, Morris Heights, Fordham Heights)  

• Manhattan Community District 2 (West Village, SoHo, Little Italy, Greenwich Village, Nolita)  

• Queens Community District 2 (Sunnyside, Hunters Point, Woodside)  

• Staten Island Community District 1 (North Shore)  

   

During the course of the next year, DSNY will assign Empire Bins to all buildings in these districts with more than 30 units. Buildings with 10 to 30 units will be given an option — after extensive one-to-one outreach — to either have an Empire Bin assigned to them or use smaller “wheelie bins,” as all properties with one to nine units are already required to do citywide. This mirrors the successful operation in the first containerized district, Manhattan Community District 9.  

   

The Department of Sanitation is expecting that this expansion will use more than 6,500 Empire Bins for more than 3,500 medium- and high-density buildings.  

   

Trash in Manhattan Community District 9 (West Harlem) has been fully containerized since last June, creating noticeably cleaner streets. Brooklyn Community District 2 (Downtown Brooklyn, Boerum Hill, Brooklyn Heights, Fulton Ferry, DUMBO, Vinegar Hill, Fort Greene, Clinton Hill and Brooklyn Navy Yard) is scheduled to receive Empire Bins this fall.  

   

While the initial West Harlem pilot has performed well for the last 10 months – including during a cold, snowy winter — the previous administration refused to fund or plan for expansion. Today’s commitment lays out a path to full, citywide containerization of trash in just five years.  

   

The initial West Harlem pilot utilized roughly 1,100 Empire Bins to store trash from schools and high- and some mid-density residential buildings. The Empire Bins are serviced by automated side-loading trucks, which DSNY was able to have built years ahead of schedule by developers from Torino, Italy and Hicksville and Brooklyn, New York.