Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
NYC mandates trash bins for most homes to keep rats, garbage piles off sidewalks
By
Liam Quigley
Published Jul 8, 2024
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 .
Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office
By
Liam Quigley
Published Jul 8, 2024
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
The vast majority of New York City’s residential landlords will be banned from piling up trash in front of their buildings come November — and will face fines if they don’t put out their garbage in bins with secure lids.
Mayor Eric Adams announced the incoming rule on Monday, marking his administration’s latest step to fight the city’s rat population by containerizing the mountains of bags that both clog up the city’s sidewalks and serve as rodent restaurants. The mayor acknowledged the concept of putting garbage in bins isn’t new — but that it’s a big change for New Yorkers, who have for decades been allowed to pile their trash curbside.
“We’re only catching up to what other municipalities across the globe, what they’re currently doing,” Adams said during a news conference.
Owners of buildings with fewer than 10 units have until Nov. 12 to begin putting their trash out in bins. For now, they can use any container they please, so long as it doesn’t exceed 55 gallons in size and has a lid that’s “tight-fitting.” But come June 2026, those property owners will need to buy a standardized bin from the city for their building’s refuse.
As of Monday, landlords can pre-order one of the official “NYC Bins,” which cost approximately $51 after taxes and fees and will be delivered as soon as Sept. 3.
“They will last for a long time,” Adams said.
The contract to manufacture the bins, awarded to Otto Environmental Systems, calls for them to last for at least a decade of normal use.
The mandate for landlords to put trash in containers does not apply to recycling or compost, according to the rules published by the city.
Sanitation Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the rules will apply to 95% of the city’s residential buildings, many of which already use trash bins with secure lids. City officials estimated the rules could reduce the amount of garbage on city sidewalks by 70%.
Property owners who ignore the requirements and continue to pile up trash bags on their curbs will risk a $50 fine from the sanitation department. They’ll be hit with a $100 fine for a second violation, and $200 if they’re caught breaking the rule three or more times.
The city also plans to require all large residential buildings to put out their trash in containers, but have not yet set a date for that mandate.
Last year, the sanitation department began piloting a program in West Harlem, where residents were required to put out their trash in shared dumpsters installed on the street. The department discussed plans to eventually expand the initiative to other areas of the city.
Councilmember Shaun Abreu, who chairs the sanitation committee and represents the area where the city is testing out the shared containers, said the program is proving to be a success.
“If you can shut off the food supply for rats, either they won’t reproduce as much or they’ll go find their food somewhere else,” Abreu said.
Tagged
new york city
Politics
sanitation
Liam Quigley
Liam Quigley is a reporter covering parks & sanitation for Gothamist and WNYC. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Central Park birders, others remember 63-year-old woman killed in park
People who said they knew her described her as an artist and a familiar presence in the Ramble.
By
Charles Lane
Published Sep 28, 2026 at 7:04 p.m. ET
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
News
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
By
Arya Sundaram
A Brooklyn jail cell filled with smoke. The emergency button failed, a lawyer said.
By
Samantha Max
Crews launch tunnel machines to dig first new Hudson River rail tunnels since 1910
By
Michael Sol Warren
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 .