Dive Brief:

• The sanitation department in New York City has begun removing trash cans around the city in an effort to reduce illegal dumping. The department suspects the cans are overflowing with residential garbage.
• The DSNY has lifted almost 100 trash bins so far.
• The district manager of one community board notes that the lack of waste receptacles has been “helpful” in particular areas. In other locations, the plan seems to have backfired, as some residents toss household garbage onto the sidewalks.

Dive Insight:

The number of fines for illegal dumping has increased by 9% since fiscal year 2013. Sticking violators with tickets may be a deterrent, but it is not easy to ticket an offender, as the person must be caught in the act.

Removing waste bins to deter dumping is not unprecedented in New York; In January of 2014, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority removed almost 30 trash bins from subway stations to reduce the volume of waste found at the stations.

It looks like waste receptacles may become a relic of the past, as the DSNY and the MTA experiment with this project.