Trash bags on the street are a familiar sight when walking around New York City, but Mayor Eric Adams has rolled out wheelie bins that will allow residents to put their trash in rodent-proof containers. By Nov. 12, 2024, all residential buildings with between one and nine units will be required to deposit their trash in the new bins.
The new containers cost about $50 for the most common size and come in different shapes and sizes for different types of buildings. The city is working on a plan to have residential buildings with over 9 units use either the wheelie bins or stationary dumpsters to containerize the trash.
Eric Goldstein, a senior attorney and New York City environment director at the Natural Resources Defense Council, tells NTD that the new bins will usher in a “peaceful trash transformation.” Mayor Adams calls the introduction of the bin part of a “trash revolution.” However, Goldstein says the real revolution will come when New Yorkers send their food scraps to composting sites and the total amount of trash generated is reduced.