The Department of Sanitation wants to make its trash-container pilot permanent and expand it to three more community districts: Bronx Community Districts 2 and 5 and Queens Community District 2. The proposed rule, published in a city notice Oct. 20, covers apartment buildings with 10 or more units. A hearing is set for Nov. 20.
Bronx CD 2 covers Hunts Point and Longwood, Bronx CD 5 covers Fordham, Morris Heights and University Heights, and Queens CD 2 covers Long Island City, Sunnyside and Woodside.
Who must containerize, and when
- Large buildings (31+ units) in the new districts must use the city’s stationary on-street containers by June 30, 2027, or as soon as their container is installed, whichever comes first. They must register ownership and contact information with DSNY during the application period.
- Medium buildings (10 to 30 units) can apply to use the on-street containers. If they don’t, or are denied, they must put trash at the curb in rigid bins with tight-fitting lids bought from an authorized vendor, starting June 30, 2027.
- DSNY can order any building to use a different method based on its own analysis, with at least two months’ notice.
Container installation begins April 1, 2027. The rule’s chart sets the application window at Jan. 2 to Feb. 28, 2027, while the agency’s summary says March 1. Applicants may want the earlier date.
The pilot becomes permanent
Manhattan Community District 9 and Brooklyn Community District 2 were the pilot areas. Under the old rule, the pilot was set to end on Oct. 15, 2027. The amendment removes that end date, and buildings there must keep containerizing.
DSNY cites “the success of this program” and Local Law 180 of 2025, which lets it expand.
📅 Friday, Nov. 20, 2026
🕐 11:00 a.m.
📍 Microsoft Teams (meeting ID 277 976 344 962 182 7); phone +1 646-893-7101, conference ID 315 799 584#
📧 nycrules@dsny.nyc.gov; sign up to speak at mliguori@dsny.nyc.gov by 5 p.m. Nov. 19
⏰ Written comments due Nov. 20; accommodation requests by Nov. 13
Comments can also go through rules.cityofnewyork.us or by mail to DSNY, 125 Worth St., Room 710, New York, NY 10013. The hearing takes oral testimony only, with no questions answered.
What the notice does not say
It does not say how many buildings or on-street containers are involved, how many parking spaces the containers will take, or what measured “success” in the pilot areas.
Related coverage
Tip about a hearing or contract in your neighborhood? howard@nycinfocus.com
Details as filed. Verify times and locations before attending.
