West Harlem Becomes First Neighborhood In North America To Fully Containerize Trash

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West Harlem has taken a bold step in waste management, becoming the first area in both New York City and North America to place all its trash in containers. On Monday, Mayor Eric Adams and Department of Sanitation (DSNY) Acting Commissioner Javier Lojan announced the launch of full-scale service for the new European-style sidewalk containers—called Empire Bins—in Manhattan’s Community Board 9. This area includes the neighborhoods of Morningside Heights, Manhattanville, and Hamilton Heights. Under the pilot initiative, all residential buildings must containerize trash. Those with 31 or more units are mandated to use Empire Bins.

“When we said four years ago that we were going to have cleaner streets and fewer vermin, the cynics rolled their eyes and said, ‘New York City is too big, government moves too slow, and no one will ever beat the rats,’” Adams said in a statement. “But we refused to take no for an answer, and our Empire Bins are striking back at rats and garbage in West Harlem.”

The launch signals major progress in the Adams administration’s campaign to revamp how garbage is handled across the city, with waste containerization at the forefront of this effort.

DSNY distributed roughly 1,100 bins during the past five weeks, assigning each to a specific building instead of using a block-based model. Building owners received special key cards to unlock and use their designated bins.

Each Empire Bin is capable of storing approximately 794 gallons of refuse, which translates to about 25 standard 32-gallon trash bags, according to city officials.

Buildings with between 10 and 30 apartments were given a choice: receive their own Empire Bin or utilize smaller mobile containers known as “wheelie bins.” Following significant outreach, city representatives say about 50 percent of eligible buildings opted for the larger Empire Bins.

Waste from the new containers is collected three times a week by DSNY’s automated side-loading garbage trucks. These vehicles, part of the department’s “Future of Trash” plan, are specially equipped to handle the new on-street bins through side-loading technology.

At present, 16 of these side-loading trucks—engineered in collaboration with teams from Italy, Hicksville, and Brooklyn—are in active rotation throughout West Harlem.

Some locals have expressed concerns about the containers eliminating parking spots. According to Gothamist, DSNY estimates that only about four percent of parking spaces in the area have been repurposed. Still, one significant operational hurdle has been vehicles double-parked in front of the bins, making it difficult for the side-loading trucks to perform their pickups, as noted by the New York Times.

New York City’s waste containerization regulations have expanded steadily. As of March 2024, all businesses must use bins for their garbage. And since November 2024, buildings with up to nine residential units are also required to comply. Combined, these rules now cover 70 percent of all the city’s trash.

Preliminary indicators suggest the approach is yielding results. The city’s 311 hotline has recorded fewer rat complaints in the six months since the regulations began, compared to the same stretch the previous year, according to a recent press release.

DSNY plans to monitor West Harlem’s pilot closely in the months ahead. A decision about scaling the program to other parts of the city will be based on the findings from this evaluation.

“When I started as a sanitation worker in 1999, the idea that we could get where we are today seemed impossible,” DSNY Acting Commissioner Lojan said. “But in the 26 years since then, I’ve seen too many good people get hurt from throwing bags or sick with leptospirosis, and I’ve seen too many neighborhoods asked to live with garbage juice and rats all over their sidewalks.”

“It doesn’t have to be that way and today marks a giant leap forward for our city — the completion of a signature Adams administration initiative, a revolution in how we handle our trash.”

Widening the program will be a massive undertaking, requiring the removal of an estimated 50,000 parking spots and an investment of several hundred million dollars over the coming ten years, the Times reported.

Although the project is showing promise, it is still classified as a pilot. Any decision to make it permanent will rest with future city leaders. Andrew Cuomo, who currently leads in the polls, has publicly supported the concept of containerized waste.

Brad Lander, the city comptroller and a candidate for mayor, has also endorsed the effort and wants to see it expanded more broadly. Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani, who is polling in second place, has argued that the initiative should be pushed even further.

{Matzav.com}

6 COMMENTS

  1. Whoever wrote the headline “ West Harlem Becomes First Neighborhood In North America To Fully Containerize Trash” was either drunk or drinking the cool aid.

    There are neighborhoods, cities, and towns across North America that have fully containerized trash decades ago. (And probably earlier than that too)

    Lakewood, NJ has been using robotic arm garbage trucks for at least twenty five years.

  2. Great. Now we have more congestion due to less parking in the city. I’m sure there will be no more four legged rats anywhere in that part of Harlem for eternity.

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