Proposed rules for New York City’s trash aim to clean up streets and combat the city’s rat infestation by cutting down on the animals’ food supply.
Beginning on April 1, 2023, New York City residents would be allowed to place their trash bags on the side of the road at 8 p.m., Mayor Eric Adams (D) and the New York City Department of Sanitation announced Monday. The city currently allows people to place their trash on roadsides after 4 p.m., which lets the trash sit on the roadside for possibly over 14 hours, according to a press release.
“Bags of trash sitting on the curb for hours have hurt our city’s recovery for too long and is one of the most indelible images of New York, but, today, we’re saying enough is enough by making a generations-overdue change that will have a real impact on the cleanliness of our streets,” Adams said. “By drastically reducing the amount of time that black bags can sit on our curb, we’re not just catching up with other cities but surpassing them and leading the nation again. This announcement will keep our streets clean, it will discourage rats from running their own version of Open Restaurants, and it will mean no more tripping over black garbage bags at rush hour. We’re not going to let New Yorkers be plagued by rats — we’re going to keep our city squeaky clean.”
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Under the proposed rules, if residents place their trash in a secure container for it to be picked up, they can place their trash outside after 6 p.m. Additionally, if a building has nine or more residential units, the property owner can ask DSNY for a 4-7 a.m. window for residents to place their trash outside, though the property owner will have to ask the department during the month of January in order for it to design its routes in time for April 1.
Businesses will also not be allowed to place trash at the side of the road until 8 p.m. under the proposed rules. Alternatively, businesses could place their trash outside in a secure container one hour before they close.
“The time to do this was really in the 1970s when the city banned residential incinerators and created the modern black bag regime, but the second-best time is right now, when our city’s recovery hangs in the balance,” said DSNY Commissioner Jessica Tisch. “New Yorkers want the streets cleaned up, and seeing the bags for a few hours a day instead of more than half the day will make a huge, huge difference.”
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DSNY is also collecting more trash during the midnight shift than it was prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has decreased the amount of time that trash waits for pickup. The department’s overnight collection makes up roughly 25% of all of its collection operations, equating to roughly 5 million pounds per night, according to the press release.
The proposed rules are subject to public comment under the City Administrative Procedure Act, and the comment period will be open until Nov. 10. Then, a public hearing on the rules will be held on Nov. 10 at 9:30 a.m.
