Mayor Zohran Mamdani is doubling down on New York City's locked curbside trash containers, rolling out the Empire Bin program to six more sanitation districts over the next 18 months. City officials say the goal is straightforward: get black plastic bags off the sidewalks, cut down on litter and make life a lot less comfortable for rats.
Where the bins are headed
According to the New York Daily News, the next wave of containerization will hit Brooklyn's Sanitation District 8, which covers Prospect Heights, Crown Heights and Weeksville. In Manhattan, Sanitation District 2 is on deck, including the West Village, SoHo, Little Italy, Greenwich Village and Nolita.
Queens District 2, serving Sunnyside, Hunters Point and Woodside, is also in line, along with Bronx Districts 2 and 5, which include Hunts Point, Longwood, University Heights, Mount Hope, Morris Heights and Fordham Heights. Staten Island's North Shore rounds out the list.
The Daily News report says the administration plans to hand out large Empire Bins to bigger residential properties in those areas, while mid-sized buildings will be able to choose between shared containers and 55-gallon wheeled bins that are collected at the curb.
How the rules apply to buildings
Guidance for the M9 pilot program from the Department of Sanitation spells out who gets which kind of container. Properties with 31 or more residential units must use locked, on-street Empire Bins. Buildings with 10 to 30 units can either opt in to an Empire Bin or stick with individual 55-gallon wheeled bins.
Smaller properties, with one to nine units, are required to put trash out in secure wheeled bins. That rule has been phased in across the city since late 2024. All of these containers are designed to be emptied by new side-loading trucks built specifically for the system, according to DSNY.
Budget and rollout questions
Supporters of containerization say the expansion looks good on paper, but warn it hinges on money and a steady rollout. Streetsblog reported that the broader container program was not yet funded in the mayor's preliminary budget.
The outlet also quoted newly confirmed DSNY Commissioner Gregory Anderson, who said, "We're having really productive conversations" about how to pay for the expansion. Until those talks turn into dollars in the executive budget, the exact timing for new bins and trucks could shift.
What the mayor says
Containerization took center stage in Mamdani's 100-day address last Sunday. He pledged to, in his words, "containerize all trash at all residential properties" and said he would push for citywide completion by 2031, according to NYC.gov.
Backers of the plan point to the West Harlem pilot as proof of concept. In that test area, Empire Bins and new side-loading trucks were put into service, and the changes have been cited as early evidence that containerization can cut down on sidewalk bag piles and reduce rodent complaints, as reported by NY1.
Over the next year and a half, residents in the newly announced districts can expect some combination of Empire Bins or permitted wheeled containers, depending on their building size. DSNY plans to work with property owners to set up access cards and collection schedules.
City officials say tenants, supers and landlords should watch for outreach from the sanitation department about opt-in forms, access cards and pickup rules as the program shifts from a limited pilot to a much broader rollout.
