May 28th 2025
Brooklyn, New York. In New York City, the effort to modernize waste collection and reduce pests through structured garbage policies is well underway. For smaller buildings—those with nine units or fewer—the city has introduced mandatory use of secure, standardized NYC Bins to streamline collection and keep curbside garbage contained. But what happens when a building has more than nine units?
The current policies offer clear guidance for small properties, yet they remain less defined for larger residential buildings. While the city’s goal is to create a cleaner, rodent-free environment, the path to achieving this becomes unclear once buildings exceed the nine-unit threshold, there is nothing specific about it in he DSNY website. While some property managers have proactively adopted private container systems or implemented their own organized solutions, others continue to rely on traditional curbside garbage practices—often placing black trash bags directly on the street.
A Question of Alignment.
This raises a broader question: How does this approach align with the city’s original goal of reducing pest activity and improving public cleanliness? With buildings of this size housing dozens—or even hundreds—of residents, shouldn’t there be a consistent expectation around how their waste is stored as well?
Without uniform policies that apply to all residential buildings, there may be an unintended gap in the system—one where the spirit of the regulation is diluted by a lack of clarity. The result is often curbside garbage that remains exposed, vulnerable to the very issues the new bin program was meant to prevent. We wonder at Escaba Group how we can collaborate in order to achieve the city we all want and deserve.
One Response
Totally agree—larger buildings need clear rules too. Without them, the trash just ends up back on the street. Cool to see Escaba bringing this up and pushing for better solutions.