New Trash Bin Program Hopes to Solve NYC's Garbage Problem

Due to limited space, NYC struggles to reduce garbage piles on city streets.(Jim Pennucci/Flickr)

Mayor Adams & the Sanitation Commissioner hope NYC's waste bins are a step in the right direction

New York City — Years ago upon first moving to the Big Apple, I was treated to a literal "rat race" ... for an actual "apple," of all things. With a pile of trash to my left, I spotted two rats race across the pavement. My mouth dropped.

Piles of trash are to rats what piles of clothes are to laundromats. And just as washing machines help remove filth, officials hope the city's first containerized waste bins will help to "wash away" such issues.

On Wednesday, top officials apparently said enough is enough. For years, NYC has been known for smog-filled skies and cramped sidewalks lined with rodent-infested piles of garbage. 

“No matter where I go, I hear the complaints over and over again. Loud and clear, New Yorkers, you want clean streets; you want trash off our sidewalks,” Mayor Eric Adams said. “You’re tired of the rodents, you’re tired of the smell, you’re tired of seeing food, waste and spillage.”

From Staten Island to the Bronx, the Clean Curbs Pilot program will install new bins across the boroughs. According to officials, the plan is to "clean up" the city. Indeed, for a city that prides itself on the arts, trash-lined sidewalks are far from aesthetically pleasing. 

In short, by installing the new program, city officials hope to clean up the sidewalks, reduce the activity of rodents, and, above all — help to put the feels-brand-spanking "new" back in New York City.