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NYC wrestles with delays in delivering official trash bins
By
Liam Quigley
Published Mar 10, 2026
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Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office
By
Liam Quigley
Published Mar 10, 2026
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Thousands of New Yorkers are still waiting to receive official city-issued bins to put out their trash, and risk facing fines as soon as June if the sanitation department continues to face a supply chain backlog that’s slowed the delivery.
The “NYC Bins” cost about $50 and are mandatory for residential buildings with nine or fewer units. They’re key to the sanitation department’s “trash revolution” that began under former Mayor Eric Adams with the goal of getting the city’s garbage into containers.
Starting in June, the city plans to begin issuing fines from $50 to $200 to homeowners who don’t use an official bin for their trash.
Sanitation officials said about 1 million of the bins have been delivered, while between 4,000 and 5,000 people are still awaiting theirs to arrive. Officials insisted they fixed the problem and that everyone who ordered a bin should receive it by the end of the month.
Still, the delays led some city councilmembers to call for the sanitation department to hold off on issuing any fines until the bin backlog is fixed.
Councilmember Frank Morano of Staten Island said around 150 of his constituents have phoned his office asking what to do about their missing bins.
“The clock is ticking and we have a situation where, come June, people who don't have these garbage pails are going to be fined,” he said.
The concerns about bin delivery delays comes as Home Depot took over distribution of the bins, which can now additionally be ordered through websites like Uber Eats and Instacart.
“We worked with Home Depot to ensure that the bin would be the same low price no matter how it is purchased,” sanitation department spokesperson Joshua Goodman said. “For anyone who still needs to get one, they have about three months to do their part to fight rats and keep our streets clean.”
Morano said he’s asked city Comptroller Mark Levine to investigate the contract award process for the bin delivery. Levine’s office did not immediately say if they were investigating the contract.
The bins were first introduced by Adams during an event outside Gracie Mansion in 2024, when he smiled proudly as he wheeled one from Gracie Mansion and plopped a trash bag inside. The viral moment was met with amusement globally, with some asking if Adams had “discovered” trash bins that are common in many other places across the planet.
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new york city
sanitation
transportation
Liam Quigley
Liam Quigley is a reporter covering parks & sanitation for Gothamist and WNYC. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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