Gothamist

A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.

Gothamist

WNYC Listen Live

Donate

 

 

News

Garbage Collection Has (Kind Of) Resumed!


By

Garth Johnston

Published Jan 3, 2011

Modified Jan 3, 2011


Share

FacebookTwitterRedditEmail


Never miss a story

 Email address

By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .

Just a drop in the ocean of the garbage that has been building up since Christmas.

 

Gothamist

View all 5


By

Garth Johnston

Published Jan 3, 2011

Modified Jan 3, 2011


Share

FacebookTwitterRedditEmail


We rely on your support to make local news available to all

Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

Garbage collection resumed at 7 a.m. this morning for the first time since Christmas Eve. Good thing considering the drifts of debris piling up. But before you go and thank your lucky Sanitation stars, don't expect all that trash to just go poof. Like all things in New York, there are complications. Which is good if you are looking to jump out of a window, we guess.

Because the Department of Sanitation still is out plowing the remainder of the Boxing Day Blizzard, only half of the city's trucks are going to be out collecting garbage for the next few days. Folks are asked to now put their trash, including Christmas trees, out on the day they would be collected. But they really don't have time yet for your recycling. Also, they don't know when they'll get to your bags.

“We will be behind,” department spokesman Keith Mellis told the Times. “We’re going to be working on Monday’s material on Tuesday. As soon as we finish Monday’s, we’ll get to Tuesday’s.” Further, "he could not say exactly when trash would be collected because that depended on which districts needed more crews to remove snow."

So your trash will be picked up, it is just unclear when.

Which is all well and good, unless you live in an area where the cops are particularly ticket-y. On our block, for instance, if we leave a trash bag on the street more than six hours before or after our designated pick-up time a neighborhood officer just loves to give our building a ticket. We're hoping he's on vacation this week. If anybody gets ticketed for having their trash on the street, we'd love to hear about it.

And it could be worse. Last year the Upper East Side went three weeks without recycling pickups. Not to mention the 17 day garbage strike of 1981...

Tagged

blizzageddon

blizzard of 2010

department of sanitation

ticketing

Trash Pickup


Garth Johnston

Read more

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations


Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations


MORE news

Brad Lander says Israeli forces detained him during a West Bank olive harvest

IDF attacks during harvest season have drawn international condemnation.

By

Ryan Kost

Published Oct 21, 2026 at 8:24 a.m. ET


George Washington Bridge reopens after fatal shooting; no arrests made

A 46-year-old man was shot to death on the bridge Tuesday evening.

By

Ryan Kost

News

George Washington Bridge reopens after fatal shooting; no arrests made

A 46-year-old man was shot to death on the bridge Tuesday evening.

By

Ryan Kost


NYC’s horse carriage drivers feel betrayed as lawmakers set to abolish industry

By

Liam Quigley

Parents grumble as NYC schools chancellor dodges calls for NYC schools integration plan

By

Jessica Gould

Driver found with apparent gunshot wound on George Washington Bridge, officials say

By

Charles Lane


Never miss a story

Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.

Sign upEmail address

By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .