The Empire Bin Strikes Back... Against the Rats... as Next Phase of Trash Revolution Begins in West Harlem

June 2, 2025

Watch video here at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSBeTwZUZyo

Manhattan Community Board 9 Becomes First Neighborhood in North America to Have 100 Percent of Trash Fully Containerized 

Automated Side-Loading Trucks Now Service Residential, On-Street Containers – A First for North America – as Mayor Adams Announces 1,100 Empire Bins Installed Across West Harlem 

Announcement Ends 50-Year Era of Leaving Mounds of Garbage on Streets and Sidewalks 

New Data Shows Containerization Works: Since Last Residential Containerization Rules Went Into Effect, Rat Sightings Have Declined for Six Straight Months 

NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) Acting Commissioner Javier Lojan today announced that — following the installation of approximately 1,100 on-street containers for residential trash from the largest buildings — 100 percent of trash in Manhattan Community Board 9 is now covered by containerization requirements, ushering in a new era of clean sidewalks, clear corners, and fewer rats. Yesterday, DSNY completed installation of the final on-street containers, known as Empire Bins, and today marked the first day of full service for over 29,000 households in West Harlem, becoming the first neighborhood in North America to have 100 percent of trash fully containerized. Early data shows containerization is working: Since residential container requirements first went into effect six months ago, the number of rat sightings reported to 311 — when compared to the same month 12 months prior — has dropped.  

“When we said four years ago that we were going to have cleaner streets and fewer vermin, the cynics rolled their eyes and said, ‘New York City is too big, government moves too slow, and no one will ever beat the rats.’ But we refused to take no for an answer, and our Empire Bins are striking back at rats and garbage in West Harlem,” said Mayor Adams. “As a result of our efforts, we now have a fully containerized neighborhood in Harlem — the first in North America — and have seen six straight months of fewer rat sightings with cleaner sidewalks and clearer corners.”  

“When I started as a sanitation worker in 1999, the idea that we could get where we are today seemed impossible,” said DSNY Acting Commissioner Lojan. “But in the 26 years since then, I’ve seen too many good people get hurt from throwing bags or sick with leptospirosis, and I’ve seen too many neighborhoods asked to live with garbage juice and rats all over their sidewalks. It doesn’t have to be that way and today marks a giant leap forward for our city — the completion of a signature Adams administration initiative, a revolution in how we handle our trash.” 

Determined to turn the tide on generations of trash on the curbs, foul odor, oozing liquids, and legions of rats, the Adams administration studied the best ways to containerize trash; something that past city leaders dismissed as impossible. After months of volumetric analysis, community engagement, and planning, New York City began working to containerize 100 percent of trash. All New York City businesses have already been required to put their trash in bins since March 2024, and, since November 2024, all buildings with one to nine residential units are required to use bins; these rules have containerized 70 percent of all New York City trash.  

The West Harlem pilot announced today covers higher-density buildings in the neighborhood, assigning Empire Bins to all West Harlem buildings with more than 30 units. Buildings with 10 to 30 units have been given an option to either have an Empire Bin assigned to them or use smaller “wheelie bins” for their trash. After an extensive outreach period that included knocking on the doors of every affected building to speak to residents, owners, and building superintendents, roughly half of buildings with 10 to 30 units opted for an Empire Bin. 

Over the last five weeks, DSNY has installed roughly 1,100 Empire Bins. Unlike in other parts of the world, the bins are not shared by the entire block. Bins are assigned to individual buildings, and property owners have been given key cards to access the bins. 

Industry experts estimated in 2023 that the automated side-loading trucks needed to service these Empire Bins would take more than five years to develop. Working with developers in Torino, Italy, as well in Hicksville and Brooklyn, New York, the Adams administration worked to solve this problem sooner, unveiling a prototype truck in February 2024. These trucks, which take two Sanitation Workers to operate, are now already operating on the streets of West Harlem. 

DSNY staff will begin analyzing results and outcomes of this pilot program in the coming weeks and months. A timeline and process for expansion beyond Manhattan Community Board 9 will be determined based upon learnings from the pilot district. 

Today’s announcement is part of Mayor Adams’ Trash Revolution — the citywide effort to move trash from black bags on the sidewalk to rat-resistant, closed containers: 

• In October 2022, the Adams administration kicked off the Trash Revolution by changing set-out times for both residential and commercial waste from 4:00 PM — one of the earliest set-out times in the country — to 8:00 PM in April 2023, while also allowing earlier set-out if the material is in a container. This incentivization of containerization was paired with major changes to DSNY operations, picking up well over a quarter of all trash at 12:00 AM rather than 6:00 AM, particularly in high density parts of the city, and ending a practice by which up to one-fifth of trash had been purposefully left out for a full day.  
• Later that month, DSNY published the “Future of Trash” report, the first meaningful attempt to study containerization models in New York City, and the playbook to get it done.  
• In August 2023, containerization requirements went into effect for all food-related businesses in New York City. These businesses — restaurants, delis, bodegas, bars, grocery stores, caterers, and more — produce an outsized amount of the type of trash that attracts rats.  
• That same month, installation of the initial 10-block, 14-school, Manhattan Community Board 9 pilot containers began. 
• In September 2023, commercial containerization requirements extended to chain businesses of any type with five or more locations in New York City. These chain businesses tend to produce a large total volume of trash. 
• In February 2024, Mayor Adams unveiled a new, automated, side-loading garbage truck and a new data-driven containerization strategy, affirming a commitment from Mayor Adams’ 2024 State of the City address to set New York City on the course to store all trash put out for pickup in containers. This truck was unveiled four years earlier than industry experts thought possible. 
• In March 2024, container requirements went into effect for all businesses — of every type — in New York City to get their trash off the streets and into a secure bin.  
• In November 2024, container requirements went into effect for low-density residential buildings — those with one to nine units — containerizing approximately 70 percent of all trash in the city.  
• Last month, Mayor Adams committed over $32 million in permanent funding for DSNY to keep New York City clean as part of the Fiscal Year 2026 Executive Budget, better known as the “Best Budget Ever.” This decision permanently allocates resources to key aspects of Mayor Adams’ cleanliness agenda, establishing permanent high levels of funding to protect the cleanliness and quality of life of city neighborhoods for generations to come. 

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