“Skip the Stuff” Rules to Reduce the Junk that Builds up in Kitchen Drawers Go Into Effect Monday, July 31, 2023

July 28, 2023

Starting Monday, July 31, New York City food service establishments providing take-out and delivery service may not provide utensils, condiment packets, napkins, or extra plates or containers to customers, unless such items are requested.

Additionally, online ordering and restaurant delivery services must set a default option of not providing those items, but may provide the option to request such items if the establishment offers them.

Skip the Stuff aims to reduce single-use plastic in our waste stream, most of which ends up in landfills where it contributes to climate change. In NYC alone, 36 million pounds of single-use plastic are collected from our residential waste stream with tens of millions more discarded by commercial establishments annually.

The warning period for this new requirement will be in effect until June 30, 2024, after which fines may be issued for violations. Outreach, education and enforcement will be conducted by the Department of Sanitation in partnership with the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection.

Cafeteria Culture's 5th graders at PS 188 The Island School in lower Manhattan testified to the NYC Council in support of this new law, stating "Students started Monthly Plastic Free Lunch Day in NYC schools. This is a day where single-use plastic packaging is not used, and utensils are served by request only. We're students, and we proved that it's possible to reduce plastic everywhere when we take only what we need! Now we're glad that everyone else can join us.

For more information, visit nyc.gov/skipthestuff.

About the New York City Department of Sanitation

The Department of Sanitation (DSNY) keeps New York City clean, safe, and healthy by collecting, recycling, and disposing of waste, cleaning streets, attacking the scourge of illegal dumping, and clearing snow and ice. The Department operates 59 district garages and manages a fleet of more than 2,000 rear-loading collection trucks, 450 mechanical brooms, 705 salt spreaders, and several dozen bike lane operations machines. Under the Adams Administration, the Department is aggressively cleaning more parts of the City than ever before, including over 1,000 long-ignored areas spread across every neighborhood. With the highest wintertime uniformed headcount in 20 years, DSNY is more equipped than ever to remove snow and ice from the approximately 19,000 lane-miles of City streets.