A new audit from the MTA inspector general says New York City Transit has been tossing recyclables in with regular garbage at maintenance yards and bus depots, cutting down the amount of paper and cardboard the agency has recovered since 2019. Auditors estimate that slump has cost the authority roughly $100,000 a year in avoidable waste-removal fees. It is the kind of behind-the-scenes operational issue riders never see, but it hits both taxpayers and the city’s recycling goals.
According to News 12 New York, the Office of the MTA Inspector General found that New York City Transit and a carting contractor "regularly mixed recycling with trash" at maintenance facilities and bus depots. The outlet reports that the audit concluded this practice violates city and state recycling rules and spelled out how much paper and cardboard recycling has declined.
What The Rules Say About Keeping Trash And Recycling Apart
City regulations require businesses and institutions, including agency facilities that rely on private carters, to keep recyclables separate from regular trash. Putting recyclable material in the same bag or bin with garbage is not allowed, according to the New York City Department of Sanitation. At the state level, the Solid Waste Management Act (Article 27 of the Environmental Conservation Law) governs local waste planning and recycling programs and gives oversight authority to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
Numbers And Context
The audit’s estimate of roughly $100,000 a year in unnecessary costs is small next to the MTA’s multi-billion-dollar budget. Still, auditors and advocates argue it matters because it points to weak controls on routine contracts and day-to-day operations. Tracking how much paper and cardboard gets recovered is technically tricky and has been revisited by industry groups in recent years, which means local tonnage shifts are hard to line up neatly against national trends. As Recycling Today notes, even the basic accounting for paper recovery has changed.
Legal And Oversight Implications
Because the inspector general highlighted conduct that city and state rules prohibit, the audit could trigger enforcement checks, contract reviews or corrective plans by regulators and by the authority itself. The report, produced by the Office of the MTA Inspector General, gives city agencies and elected officials a clear opening to push for fixes and for the MTA to lay out how it will avoid future contamination of recyclables.
For riders and taxpayers, the bottom line is straightforward. Sorting systems and contract oversight are supposed to work the way the rules say they should, and public agencies need to show that the money they spend is buying legal, environmentally responsible service. The next chapter to watch: any formal response from the MTA, specific recommendations from the inspector general, and potential enforcement or corrective steps from DSNY or NYSDEC.
