Setup and Maintenance

Planning for Waste Management

Talk to your licensed private carter to develop a plan for how waste will be collected and set out for your building.

If your building management handles your waste, work with them to be sure your business complies with their waste management plan and NYC's recycling rules.

Waste management plans should comply with one of the following types of recycling collection:

• Source-separated collection
• Co-collection
• Single-stream collection
  

Your business must post an official decal identifying all carters utilized. Learn more about displaying carter decals.

If your business prefers to transport its own recyclables, registration must be first obtained from the NYC Business Integrity Commission (BIC).

Property owners and building management must notify tenants, at least annually, about the recycling and waste management policies of the building. Policies must be compliant with NYC rules and a copy of the notification must be available upon request by DSNY.

Set up Customer and Staff Disposal Areas

All containers must be labeled to indicate what material type the container is being used to collect.

Businesses must post and maintain signs in public, staff, maintenance, and waste storage areas describing how recyclables and trash should be separated.

It is never, under any circumstances, permitted for recyclable material to be collected or placed in the same truck or container as trash.

Tips

• Always place recycling bin next to trash bins.
• Color-code your recycling container labels and signage. Download and print sample signs.
• Know the rules: Sign up for a business recycling training or watch a webinar.