Outraged that the city is requiring property owners to buy specific trash cans or be subject to fines, Assemblyman William Colton (D—Gravesend, Bensonhurst, Bath Beach and Dyker Heights) has started a petition demanding that the city provide those cans, which have been designed to be compliant with new equipment being added to the city’s garbage trucks, for free.

As of November 12, 2024, owners of one-to-nine-family buildings will be required to use cans with secure lids, in an effort to eliminate black trash bags from city streets and combat the rat problem that has plagued portions of the city. Those cannot be larger than 55 gallons, but they do not have to be the specific cans, dubbed the NYC bin, being sold since the summer via a link on the Department of Sanitation website. However, as of June 2026, when the second phase of the replacement program kicks in, property owners will be required to use the official NYC bin, which the city says will streamline the process of picking up trash and minimize spillage.

“When the city started its composting program, it gave out compost pails to homeowners at no charge,” stressed Assemblyman Colton. “Now, it should do the same thing with trash cans. It’s not fair to expect property owners, many of whom are already financially stretched, to spend approximately $50 each to get one or more new cans when they may already have perfectly serviceable trash cans that otherwise meet the city’s requirements.”

In an October 11 letter to Sanitation Commissioner Jessica Tisch, Assemblyman Colton wrote, “It is true that rodents are a nuisance and a health hazard…. However, it is far from reasonable to demand that residents purchase a trash bin simply because it has the endorsement of you and the mayor along with your department’s seal on it. It is a great burden on senior citizens and low-income homeowners to purchase a bin if they already have one that is perfectly satisfactory.”

The NYC Bin will be required only for trash; ones designated for recycling are also available for purchase but, according to DSNY, their use is not required. Prices for the NYC Bin for trash, which is currently available for purchase, range from $45.88 for a 35-gallon bin to $53.01 for a 45-gallon bin.

Assemblyman Colton reminds residents that, once the new regulations are in effect, the city can impose fines for not using covered trash bins. These range from $50 for a first offense to $100 for a second offense to $200 for a third or subsequent offense, though DSNY has said that until January 1, 2025, warnings rather than summonses will be issued.

Approximately 500 people have already signed the petition.