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Trash or Recycling Disposal Complaint

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You can report residential or commercial buildings or institutions that aren’t following the City’s trash or recycling disposal rules.

Trash and recycling bags and containers must never block the sidewalk for pedestrians or be placed in the street.

What You Can Report

You can report residents and businesses that repeatedly put trash and recycling materials in the street or that block the sidewalk with:

  • Trash bags and bins
  • Dumpsters
  • Discarded merchandise

What You Can’t Report

You can’t report:

  • Bags or containers on a property’s collection day unless the sidewalk is completely blocked
  • A one-time occurrence. The problem must be chronic, and you must include the days and times in your report.

A store or a commercial business must either hire a private carter to collect their trash and recyclables or register as a self-hauler with the Business Integrity Commission (BIC). You can report a business that doesn't have a private carter collecting their waste.

Businesses that use the services of a private carter must post a decal that clearly states the carter's name and the days and times that the waste is picked up. Businesses without decals may be fined.

You can’t dispose of construction or renovation debris with your trash unless you live in a 1- to 2-family home, did the renovation or repair work yourself, and didn’t hire anyone to help.

Debris generated by hired contractors or fee-for-service workers is commercial waste and must be serviced by hiring a private carter or using a dumpster.

Construction debris includes:

  • Large furnishings, such as tubs, sinks, and heaters
  • Cement, concrete, sheetrock, and bricks
  • Rocks and glass
  • Tiles

Light refuse or rubbish that is likely to be blown or scattered must be securely bundled, tied, or packed before being placed for collection.

What You Can Report

You can report:

  • Bags that are open or not tightly closed
  • Bin lids that aren’t fastened securely
  • Materials or debris that aren’t securely tied or bundled together

You must seal any mattress or box spring in a plastic bag before you put it out with your trash. This helps prevent the spread of bed bugs. The Department of Sanitation (DSNY) doesn’t collect uncovered or partially covered mattresses or box springs.

Before putting them out for collection, you must separate recyclables from your trash and sort them following Recycling Rules.

Residential Building

You can report homeowners or residential building managers, supers, or tenants that mix trash with recycling.

Commercial Building

You can report commercial building owners, managers, or tenants that mix trash with recycling.

Institution

You can report institutions with Department of Sanitation (DSNY) collection service that mix trash with recycling.

Institutions include:

  • Government agencies
  • Houses of worship
  • Non-profits
  • Schools

Property owners must remove all doors and locking devices from refrigerators and freezers before putting them on the sidewalk or in a public alley for collection.

You can report a refrigerator or freezer that was put curbside for pickup without removing the doors. You can also report a refrigerator or freezer with the door attached that was illegally dumped on the sidewalk in front of your property.

Call 311 for assistance.

It’s illegal to use another person's or establishment's trash containers without their permission or put waste on or in front of a property other than where it was generated.

What You Can Report

You can report a resident or business who repeatedly puts their trash and recycling bags and bins on or in front of your property instead of their own.

If there is a large amount of trash or debris dumped in front of your property and you don’t know where the materials came from, please report this issue as Illegal Dumping to request removal.

What You Need

Your report must provide:

  • The address where the materials are coming from
  • The address where the materials were placed
  • The days and times this problem happens

Trash and recycling bags, bulk items, and containers, including dumpsters, may only be set out on the sidewalk at specific times.

  • Residential properties may set out trash and recycling bags and bins curbside between 4 PM and midnight the evening before their collection day
  • Commercial properties may set out trash containers for collection:
    • 1 hour before they close if the private carter picks up after closing
    • Within 2 hours of the actual collection if the private carter picks up during the day

You can report residential buildings that set out their waste at the wrong time.

Bins Left Out After Pickup

Residential buildings must remove their empty trash and recycling containers from the sidewalk after the waste has been collected.

  • If pickup is before 4 PM, residents must retrieve bins by 9 PM.
  • If pickup is after 4 PM, residents must retrieve bins by 9 AM the next morning.

You can report residential buildings that didn't retrieve their bins after pickup.

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