The more than 10,000 tons of garbage that New York City produces a day are taking a rising toll—in higher municipal spending, the city’s carbon footprint, burdens on neighborhoods and impact on landfill communities from upstate to Kentucky. Can New York come up with a better way to take out the trash?
Adi Talwar
Sanitation trucks parked at a New York City of Department of Sanitation facility on Varick Avenue in Brooklyn.
A highly anticipated city study of commercial waste collection has been delayed, putting off any decision about a new franchise zoning system and ensuring that the fight over the industry’s future is far from over.
The $3.3 billion, 20-year plan to send Brooklyn garbage to the Seneca Meadows landfill illustrates the growing costs of burying trash.
KNOW MORE, WASTE LESS
Information on the city’s waste system and how to be a more responsible user of it:
Mayor’s Management Report: DSNY Statistics
Apartment Building Recycling Initiative
re-fashioNYC (clothing recycling)
e-cycleNYC (electronics recycling)
NYC Compost Project
NYC Organics Collection
NYC Stuff Exchange
NYC WasteMatch
ReuseNYC
SAFE Disposal (harmful products)
How to reduce household waste
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Founded in 1976 in the midst of New York’s fiscal crisis, City Limits exists to inform democracy and equip citizens to create a more just city. The organization is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit funded by foundation support, ad sponsorship and donations from readers.
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Support local, investigative journalism that has informed and empowered New Yorkers for 45 years.
