Mayor Eric Adams has unveiled New York City’s official trash cans, which will eventually replace NYC’s current method of dealing with trash (leaving bags on the street).
“Today, we are tossing even more black bags into the dustbin of history and taking the next step forward in our ‘Trash Revolution,'” Adams said. “The first-ever, official NYC Bin is high-quality, affordable and will build on our efforts containerizing more than 70 percent of the city’s trash to protect our most valuable and limited resource — our public space.”
Trash bins range from $45.88 for a 35-gallon to $53.01 for a 45-gallon. By comparison, Sacramento, Calif., charges residents $23 for a 96-gallon bucket. In Alexandria, Va., where I live, locals get a 64-gallon trash can free of charge, and a bi-yearly solid-waste user fee tacked onto their taxes. Washington, D.C., supplies homeowners with free trash containers. NYC’s new bin is “the cheapest bin of its quality available,” Adams’ office said in a statement.
The city’s new container requirements go into effect in November, but locals have until June 2026 to use “bins they have as long as they are 55 gallons or less and have a latching lid.” After that, residents must have the NYC-branded bin.
Perhaps the best part about New York (finally) discovering garbage bins is this video, in which Adams rolls out a trash can as “Empire State of Mind” plays in the background. The lyric “there’s nothing you can’t do” blares as he tosses a bag into the bin.