The NYC Sanitation Department (DSNY) is considering a proposal to formally move the Friday night garbage set-out time earlier, which would allow New Yorkers to place their trash at the curb sooner.
The DSNY issued a Dec. 4 proposal to amend its rule governing the time for placing trash and recyclables at the curb for collection. The amendment would allow residents who receive collection on Saturdays to put their trash out in a container an hour before sunset the night before.
A neighborhood’s local community board would have to opt into the schedule; it is not an option for individual homeowners.
While the DSNY has always exercised discretion in enforcing set-out times in various NYC communities for religious observances during the fall and winter, this amendment would codify the practice into law and allow all 59 community boards to choose to participate, the agency explained.
“DSNY recognizes that every community has different needs,” a city notice about the proposal stated. “DSNY is proposing to allow individual Community Boards, upon written notification to DSNY, to opt into an alternate schedule that would permit residences in their districts that receive collection service on Saturdays to place materials for collection at the curb no earlier than one hour before sunset on Fridays, provided that such materials are placed out in receptacles with a tight-fitting lid.”
A DSNY spokesperson said the agency proposed the amendment in response to recent feedback about set-out times. The agency will hold a virtual public hearing on the proposed rule on Jan. 7.
Long-standing rules on garbage set-out times were changed from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. in April 2024 as part of Mayor Eric Adams’ administration’s efforts to make streets and sidewalks cleaner. Currently, property owners must put their contained trash at the curb no earlier than 6 p.m. the day before their scheduled collection.
What do New Yorkers think?
Many New Yorkers with weekend garbage collection said this amendment would be a welcome change, making the task easier.
“It’s helpful for overnight workers. My husband works for the city. I have a nerve disorder which makes taking the garbage out a hard task,” Gerrianna Cardito Greco of Staten Island explained. “When the city changed the times, it was terrible for us because on days when he is working the night shift, the garbage doesn’t go out.”
The changes to the set-out times last year also hurt Greco’s elderly neighbors, who struggle to put their trash out in the dark to avoid a fine.
Other New Yorkers suggested that the amendment should be in effect seven days a week during the winter to ensure safety.
“If it’s allowed on a Friday it should be for every night during the winter,” Susan McGovern Been of Staten Island, said. “It’s a dangerous fall-hazard for seniors to be carting their trash cans in the dark, and with all the wildlife foraging for food it can be a scary encounter.”
For information on how to attend the public meeting about the amendment, visit nyc.gov or email nycrules@dsny.nyc.gov.
