Whether your building can get an NYC Empire Bin depends on its Community District and number of residential units. These large, stationary trash containers are assigned to specific properties as DSNY expands the program across New York City.
For owners and managers, the first step is to check where the building falls within the rollout. Larger properties will be required to use Empire Bins when the program reaches their district, while buildings with 10–30 units will have a choice to make during their district’s registration period.
Where Empire Bins Are Available
Manhattan Community District 9 (M9) was the first district to use Empire Bins. Approximately 1,100 containers were deployed in West Harlem, Hamilton Heights and Morningside Heights.
Brooklyn Community District 2 (BK2) is next, with approximately 1,700 bins planned for fall 2026. The district includes Downtown Brooklyn, Boerum Hill, Brooklyn Heights, Fulton Ferry, DUMBO, Vinegar Hill, Fort Greene, Clinton Hill and the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Its registration and opt-in period ran from July 1 through July 31, 2026, and is now closed.
Six additional districts are scheduled for the next phase, by the end of 2027:
- Brooklyn Community District 8
- Bronx Community Districts 2 and 5
- Manhattan Community District 2
- Queens Community District 2
- Staten Island Community District 1
The city expects that expansion to involve more than 6,500 Empire Bins serving more than 3,500 residential buildings. These are announced plans; owners and managers should follow their district’s DSNY notices for registration dates and implementation instructions.
Sources: DSNY BK2 rollout announcement and NYC’s six-district expansion announcement.
Find Your Building’s Community District
Neighborhood names are a useful starting point, but an address lookup is the better way to confirm which Community District your property belongs to. Use the city’s official tool before making decisions about registration or bin requirements.
Find your building’s Community District
If your building is in one of the districts scheduled for expansion, watch for DSNY outreach. This matters particularly for properties with 10–30 residential units, because receiving an Empire Bin requires choosing that option during the applicable registration period.
Empire Bin Requirements by Building Size
Buildings with 31 or More Residential Units
Properties with 31 or more residential units must use Empire Bins when the program reaches their Community District. DSNY assigns the containers to individual properties, and owners or managers must complete the registration process announced for that district.
In BK2, each qualifying property was required to submit its own form by July 31, 2026. Owners managing several buildings had to submit a separate form for each address.
Buildings with 10–30 Residential Units
Properties with 10–30 units can choose between Empire Bins and official NYC Bins as containerization reaches their district. In BK2, owners and managers who wanted Empire Bins had to opt in by July 31. Properties that did not submit the form were designated to use official NYC Bins instead.
An Empire Bin is therefore not automatically assigned to every building in this size range. For districts included in the next phase, follow DSNY’s registration announcements and make the choice within the stated deadline.
Buildings with 1–9 Residential Units
For smaller residential properties, the standard requirement is the official NYC Bin, rather than an Empire Bin. Buildings with 1–9 units have been required to use official NYC Bins for trash setout since June 1, 2026; full enforcement began September 8, following the warning period.
A small brownstone or one-, two- or three-family property should follow those requirements rather than wait for the Empire Bin rollout.
Sources: DSNY residential containerization requirements and BK2 requirements by building size.
How Empire Bins Work
Empire Bins remain on the street and are opened with access cards assigned to the building. Authorized building staff and waste managers transfer trash from the property’s collection area into the containers, which DSNY empties using automated side-loading trucks. Residents should continue using their building’s designated waste collection area rather than accessing the Empire Bins themselves.
Because the containers remain outside, staff can place trash inside them at any time of day, without waiting for the traditional curbside setout window. The building’s trash collection schedule remains unchanged.
Only bagged trash belongs inside an Empire Bin. Recycling and compost must stay separate and follow their own collection requirements. Trash bags cannot be left beside the container, and property managers are responsible for keeping the surrounding area clean and accessible.
If the assigned bins do not provide enough capacity, owners or managers should submit an Empire Bin service request so DSNY can determine whether additional containers are needed. Problems with access cards can also be reported through the same official page.
DSNY Empire Bin instructions and service requests
Furniture, Mattresses and Other Large Items
Bulky items that do not fit inside an Empire Bin can still be collected separately. DSNY instructs buildings to place furniture and properly wrapped mattresses at the curb in front of the property on its trash-only collection day. Keep the Empire Bins clear so sanitation trucks can service them.
The Shared Empire Bin Pilot
DSNY also announced a Shared Empire Bin pilot in BK2, allowing multiple smaller properties on the same block to share a container under certain conditions. This may be useful for owners or managers responsible for neighboring buildings.
The regular BK2 registration period is closed, but that does not establish whether shared-bin enrollment remains available. Owners interested in the pilot should contact [email protected] to confirm eligibility, conditions and current availability.
DSNY’s shared-bin pilot announcement
Next Steps for Property Owners and Managers
For BK2 properties, the priority is following DSNY’s implementation instructions and confirming which container system the building will use. DSNY currently lists online information sessions for October 15, 22 and 29, 2026, at 6 p.m. Registration links are available on its Empire Bins page.
Owners in the six districts scheduled for the next phase should monitor DSNY outreach, particularly if they manage 10–30 unit buildings and want to opt into Empire Bins. For properties elsewhere in NYC, the announced expansion does not mean Empire Bins are immediately available at every address.
Once a building receives its containers, staff will need a clear routine for moving bagged trash, keeping recycling and compost separate, managing access cards and maintaining the area around the bins.
Empire Bins and NYC Parking Spaces
The rollout also raises a practical concern: how these on-street containers affect parking. Their placement, the curb space they occupy and access for collection trucks all matter on blocks where parking is already limited.
Our next article will examine whether Empire Bins take away NYC parking spaces and how DSNY determines where they go.
At Escaba Group, we help residential buildings manage daily trash routines and exterior maintenance. We’ll continue updating this guide as DSNY announces registration periods, new districts and changes to the Empire Bin program.
Last reviewed: October 8, 2026.