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By Sophie Krichevsky
With Mayor Adams’ announcement earlier this month that residential buildings with one to nine units will be required to put their trash in bins with secure lids for collection, the Department of Sanitation’s newly minted 8 p.m. trash put-out time will become moot.
Come November, when the container requirement goes into effect, garbage from all one-to-nine-unit buildings will be able to hit the curb as early as 6 p.m.
When the city pushed back put-out times from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. in April 2023, the Sanitation Department incentivized property owners to containerize their waste, rather than simply piling black trash bags on the sidewalk, by allowing those using bins to set out trash for collection as early as 6 p.m.
But with containerization for about 20 percent of the city’s residential buildings becoming mandatory in November, that incentive will be gone; the carrot will be replaced with a stick. According to DSNY spokesperson Joshua Goodman, residents in buildings required to use secure bins will all be able to put their trash out as early as 6 p.m.
Asked why the agency pushed back put-out times to 8 p.m. at all if many residents would eventually be able to bring trash to the curb at 6 p.m., Goodman told the Chronicle via email, “The point was that black bags should not be on the street when people are walking around.
“It would not have been prudent to say back in 2022, ‘oh, you can keep putting your trash bags on the street at 4 p.m., because in Fall 2024 we’re going to institute a residential wheelie bin mandate. It’s totally fine, no need to make changes.’ Action was long overdue, and it is getting results, with rat sightings down 12 of the first 13 months since this work began.”
Goodman said there was no concern that widening put-out times would reduce that effectiveness, saying “that is why containers must have a lid.” He also noted that for one-to-nine-unit buildings, 6 p.m. would be the earliest garbage could hit the curb —residents would not be required to bring trash outside then, and could still do so after 8 p.m., so long as it’s before midnight.
Asked if he was at all concerned the change could be confusing to New Yorkers, Councilmember Shaun Abreu (D-Manhattan), who chairs the Council’s Sanitation and Solid Waste Committee, said in a statement that while new policies often require some adjustment, he was confident the change would ultimately be worthwhile.
“Until just last year, our city’s trash sat out the street corner for up to 14 hours —longer than any major city in the country. We are leaving this unsanitary practice where it belongs: in the trash. What we’re talking about with these new rules is a serious shift in the way our city handles and collects trash,” the councilmember said.
“And while the rollout of new city rules is always going to take some trial and error, I am confident in DSNY and most importantly in New Yorkers, to get this one right. We’ve put a lot of effort into getting out the word about the changes coming to trash management, and we want to make it easy for everyone to follow the rules. Containerization is a massive leap forward. If we do this right, it will mean fewer rats, cleaner streets, and healthier neighborhoods for all of us.”
In addition to many residential buildings being required to containerize waste starting this fall, New Yorkers will need to use city-issued, latching bins by June 2026. To purchase those, visit bins.nyc.