New York City’s tradition of stacking trash bags on the sidewalk for pickup follows the path of the dinosaurs.
As of Friday, all 200,000 companies were in the Big Apple are required to dispose of their trash bags in trash cans, as communities across the county and around the world have long done.
The requirement is the next phase in the city’s efforts to curb what Mayor Eric Adams’ administration has called a “24-hour rat buffet” of trash on sidewalks.
In August, the city began requiring restaurants, convenience stores and bars to use a sturdy trash can with a secure lid and expanded the requirement to chain stores the following month.
Now every city business, including corner stores, must comply. In the fall, residential buildings with nine or fewer units will also fall under the mandate.
According to Adams, who is in charge, commercial waste makes up nearly half of the approximately 44 million pounds of trash the city collects each day Fighting the city’s rodents a focus.
City officials will issue warnings for the first month of the new mandate but will begin issuing citations in April, Sanitation Commissioner Jessica Tisch said during media appearances Friday morning with Adams.
Joshua Goodman, a spokesman for the city’s sanitation department, said the city’s only requirement for businesses is that they use a sturdy container with a secure lid.
Businesses will need to work with their waste hauling company to determine what type of container they should use since business waste is picked up by private haulers, not the city.