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With More than 800,000 NYC Bins Now Ordered Online, Residents Doing Their Part to Keep NYC Clean and Rat-Free

July 30, 2025

Milestone comes ahead of June 2026 deadline for buildings with 1-9 residential units to use these official bins

Residential containerization requirements have driven rat sightings down for seven months

Ahead of a June 2026 deadline for buildings with 1 to 9 residential units, New York City residents and building managers have now officially ordered more than 800,000 NYC Bins online — as well as 80,000 more NYC Bins purchased at Home Depot stores — a significant milestone in the city's ongoing efforts to get trash out of black bags and into containers. Data from 311 continues to show that containerization works: Since the first residential container requirements went into effect more than seven months ago, the number of rat sightings reported — when compared to the same month the year before — has dropped every month.

"With a price tag of less than half of comparable bins on the market, the official NYC Bin is high-quality, affordable and delivering a cleaner city," said New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) Acting Commissioner Javier Lojan. "We are thrilled to see so many New Yorkers ordering NYC Bins, and I encourage owners of low-density residential buildings to place their orders in the coming weeks and months, as these bins will be required before next summer."

Since November 2024, residents living in buildings with 1- to 9- residential units have been required to set out their trash in bins with secure lids. While some have chosen to use a bin of their own, hundreds of thousands of residents have decided to get a head start on the June 1, 2026 requirement to use only the official NYC Bins. In response to requests from residents and elected officials, the Department of Sanitation announced in April the availability of a smaller bin – 25-gallons — in addition to previously available 35- and 45-gallon bins. Separate NYC Bins are available for recycling and composting as well, but are not required.

These official NYC Bins are compatible with mechanical tippers being installed on DSNY's standard rear-loading collection trucks, which facilitate safer and cleaner collection.

NYC Bins are available for purchase at bins.nyc or at New York City Home Depot stores.

Today's milestone is part of Mayor Eric 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.
  • In May 2025, 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.
  • In June 2025, Mayor Adams 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.