NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – The New Year will bring new rules designed to make commercial garbage pickup safer and more efficient for New Yorkers.
The Sanitation Department describes commercial trash pickup as an “inefficient, hazardous, and unsustainable system,” with one neighborhood potentially serviced by dozens of private carriers.
Starting on Jan. 2, businesses in the city’s initial “commercial waste zone” must use one of three companies selected by DSNY to haul away their trash. The zone covers Jackson Heights, Corona and Elmhurst.
The City Council passed a law in 2019 that established 20 commercial waste zones; this is the first to go into effect. Under the law, DSNY designates the zones and enters into agreements with private carters to operate within them.
City Council Sanitation Committee Chair Shaun Abreu said the goal of the commercial waste zones is “less vehicle amounts traveled, more safety worker protocols, more safety for pedestrians.”
Abreu said the carters will have mileage limits in an effort to make the streets safer.
“We needed to make sure that they’re actually not zigzagging across their zone, which would increase pollution on our environment but also increase the likelihood they could hurt someone out on the street,” he said.
From 2010 to 2019, 43 people were killed in crashes involving private garbage trucks.
“Private waste haulers have historically been a significant safety risk for New Yorkers,” Abreu said.
According to Abreu, carters must go through worker safety trainings, including training for safe waste handling, equipment operation and worker safety protocols.