A Guide to Trash, Recycling, and Garbage Pickup Schedule in NYC

A company with only 20 people produces 20 pounds of trash daily, and NYC has approximately 220,000 businesses. Just imagine the level of commercial waste that gets made in a year. So, if you are a business owner in NYC, you are responsible for correctly managing this waste to prevent pollution. This will help you ensure your employees' good health and deliver your social responsibilities.

Are you wondering how? You can do this by an efficient waste management system. However, if you don't know about waste management, today's write-up is for you. Here, we will inform you everything about commercial trash pickup and the rules you must follow to maintain legal transparency.

Let's start the journey!

What is Trash Pickup?

Trash pickup is simply collecting waste materials from dumping places. Although the service is free for the common people of NYC, it's not for business owners. A business owner either has to hire a private hauler or become a self-hauler. To become a self-hauler, enrolling in the Business Integrity Commission (BIC) is a must.

The New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) takes care of the waste removal system in NYC. They have divided the five boroughs into 20 Commercial Waste Zones (CWZ) for commercial trash pickup. The authority has established new no-cost contracts with carters authorized to work in each zone.

The business owners must sign a new service agreement with a zone-authorized carter to get the trash pickup service. In a recent update, the NYC authority has stated that if a business fails to select its carter and wants to have one, the authority will assist in determining.

You must mention that you can't hire a random carter if you are looking for a bulk trash pickup NYC service. Only DSNY-approved carters are eligible to do this task. To find out your zone and carter, visit the Sanitation NYC website.

What is Garbage Pickup?

Typically, we believe that trash and garbage are the same. However, it is not correct. Garbage is mainly the waste products sourced from the bathroom or kitchen, such as thick moldy bread, gnawed-on chicken wings, used paper towels, empty bags of potato chips, and peanut shells. Many experts have called food waste garbage only.

Now, you might wonder how it relates to commercial trash even. You might forget that employees of every office usually have their food at the office, and sometimes they cook as well. So, if your business is not related to food items, there is a 100% possibility that your office will have some garbage. The service of collecting them is known as garbage pickup.

It is essential to mention that, technically, this garbage is organic waste. According to Local Law 146 of 2013, businesses must separate their organic waste (food scraps, food-soiled paper, and plant waste) from regular waste.

What are the Mandatory Searable Wastes?

• Food scraps
• Food-soiled paper
• Certified compostable products (should meet carter or processor specifications)

DSNY has clear rules for garbage pickup. Maximum bulk garbage pickup NYC service providers are well aware of these rules, so remember to remind them if you hire one. Also, if you are doing it yourself, give your employees proper training.

Here are some tips that will help you to follow those rules:

Provide Labeled Containers:

The rule is to separate organic waste from regular trash.

Pro Tip: While separating the waste, provide labeled containers for keeping them. Here, 'labeled' means properly seen and tagged. Provide the same labeled containers to every area where the organic waste gets handled.

Either hire expert employees to separate the waste from garbage and recyclables or give clear instructions regarding what to separate and how. Stick proper signs for this. Do not forget to place these signs in every area where the organic waste gets handled.

Instruct your employees to be careful when separating and collecting organic waste. Organic waste shouldn't be mixed with normal trash.

Separate Transportation:

The rule is to carry organic waste separately.

Pro Tip: Provide separate transportation for organic waste to prevent mix-ups. As a business owner, you have three options regarding transportation: private carrier, self-carrying, or on-site processing.

The first two options are much easier to execute. However, if you want to go for on-site processing, here are some tips for that:

Approved Methods Only:

If you opt for on-site processing, you must use any DSNY-approved method, such as vessel composting. Make sure that food waste is not discharged into sewers.

Take the Necessary Permission:

If you are planning to install an aerobic or anaerobic digestion system, you must get permission from DSNY, which must be renewed every year.

• Anaerobic Digestion: Place all the organic waste materials into a jar or place containing zero oxygen. The natural microorganisms (fungus and bacteria) will turn the waste materials into biogas (a mixture of C02 and methane.

• Aerobic Digestion: One of the best ways of discarding organic waste is to compost it (also known as aerobic digestion). To do this, dig a hole in the soil and put all the waste materials there. Natural microorganisms (fungi and bacteria) will decompose the waste and turn it into a mineral-rich organic fertilizer.

This organic compositing will help you enhance soil fertility and produce biogas, which is a great alternative to fossil fuel while delivering social responsibilities. Well, is this the only way to save energy? Well, no. Let's move to the next section to find the answer.

What is Recycling Pick-Up?

Recycling is another wing of waste management. It helps reduce waste on Earth and pollution. In this process, the pickup authority converts the waste materials into useful materials. The service of picking up waste for recycling is known as recycling pickup.

As a business owner, recycling your commercial waste not only helps you fulfill your social responsibilities but also reduces your chances of legal trouble.

To do this properly, you must first know how to recycle your commercial waste. The NYC authority has clear and specific rules and guidelines for commercial recycling. Here is some important information that you must know as a business owner.

• Recycling Authority: If you are a business owner in NYC, you must hire a private carter for your recycling trash pickup. This ensures that the recycling items will be handled with the utmost care.
On this issue, it is important to mention that since you are hiring a private charter, you don't need to follow the exact NYC recycle schedule. You can opt for this service at your convenience.

• Packaging: DSNY has clear instructions on packaging commercial recycling waste materials. According to authority guidelines, the container must have easily visible recycling signs and a proper label for transparency.
As the rules are clear now, it is time to focus on the items you can recycle. Here is your list for that:

Metal Items:

• Metal cans
• Aluminum foil and foil products
• Metal caps and lids
• Industry-specific metal
• Large or bulky metal items

Glass Materials: ‍

• Glass bottles
• Glass jars

Plastic (all rigid plastics): ‍

• Plastic bottles, jugs, and jars
• Rigid plastic caps and lids
• Rigid plastic food containers
• Rigid plastic non-food containers
• Rigid plastic packaging
• Rigid plastic wares
• Bulk rigid plastic

Note: The rigid plastic terms refer to plastic made from resin. It is not flexible and mostly maintains its shape. However, there is biodegradable plastic, which is environmentally friendly and easy to recycle.

Beverage Cartons:  

• Milk or juice cartons
• Drink boxes
• Aseptic packaging
• Paper
• Newspapers, magazines, catalogs
• White and colored paper
• Mail and envelopes  
• Receipts
• Paper bags
• Wrapping paper
• Soft-cover books

Cardboard Items:

• Smooth cardboard
• Cardboard egg cartons and trays
• Pizza boxes
• Corrugated cardboard boxes

E-waste:

• Computers and Computer Accessories
• Desktop towers, monitors, laptops, and tablets
• Keyboards, mice, and pointing devices
• Printers and document scanners
• Small-scale servers
• TVs, VCRs, DVD players, DVRs
• Cable boxes, cable/satellite receivers, antennas, digital converter boxes
• Cables, cords, and wiring permanently fixed to the TV
• Laptops, tablets, and e-readers
• Digital cameras
• Cell phones

An office contains almost all of these items, and these products have harmful chemicals such as mercury. So, the owner needs to be very careful while discarding these products and needs to hire an expert only.

What are the Rules and Protocols for Trash, Recycling, and Garbage Pick-Up in NYC?

The garbage, trash, and recycling products pick up in NYC has a flexible setup. However, everyone should follow some rules, regulations, and timing.

Here is the list of the rules and regulations one should follow:

Organic Waste Rules: If your business produces organic waste, then first of all, you have to separate the organic trash from the other kinds of trash. Your business must follow these rules if it is a:

• Food service establishment in a hotel with 100 or more rooms
• Foodservice vendor in an arena or stadium with a seating capacity of at least 15,000 people
• Food manufacturer with a floor area of at least 25,000 square feet
• Food wholesaler with a floor area of at least 20,000 square feet
• Sponsor a temporary public event with an anticipated attendance of 500 or more people
• Catering establishments hosting on-site events with an approx attendance of 100 or more people
• Food preparation location with a floor area of at least 6,000 square feet
• Retail food store with a floor area of at least 10,000 square feet  
• Chain retail food score of 3 or more NYC locations with a combined floor area of at least 10,000 square feet
• Food service establishment with a floor area of 7,000 square feet or more
• Chain food service establishment with two or more NYC locations with a combined floor area of at least 8,000 square feet or more
• Food service establishment with a combined floor area of at least 8,000 square feet or more in the same building or location
• Business owners must arrange a land area to decompose all the organic waste and hire experienced people to execute the job.

Maintain a Bin: Whether you have hired a private carter or a self-hauler, you must install a bin to store the waste materials. Note that the DSNY authority does not sell bins, so you have to buy them yourself.

Don't Keep the Bin in Public Place: You are supposed to place the bin in the curb area only. Do not place it in a public place or where pedestrians are supposed to walk.
Maintain Timing: The bin should be placed in the curb area before the pickup time only, and once the pickup is (applicable only for the owners who have hired private carters) done, remove it. Don't just leave it on the curb area.

Maintain Hygiene: The NYC city authority introduced a new law on this issue on March 1, 2024. According to the law, every business owner has to use bins for the trash, and the lids of the containers are supposed to be closed tightly. Any breaching of this rule can lead to legal issues and fines.

Don't Harm Public Property: Chaining bins to any public property is strictly prohibited.

Store the Bins Carefully: To maintain hygiene and prevent dirt spillage, you must store the bins correctly. Bins should be stored inside or in the rear yard. However, if you don't have that much space, you can store them within 3 feet of the building line while they are not being used.

Follow the Right Placement: If you don't have any space for placing the bins, you can keep them on the sidewalk. However, make sure hygiene is maintained correctly and the lid is closed.

Rules for Private Carters: Businesses that hire private carters to discard their trash must post a decal clearly stating the carter's name and the days and times of the pickup.

Rules for Sharing Private Carters: This rule is dedicated to small businesses. Businesses that produce less than 20 gallons of trash per week are eligible for sharing private carters with other business owners. However, do not forget to ask for documents such as a written contract and free decal.

Sign Up for Free E-waste Recycling: According to the NYC rules, small businesses with fewer than 50 full-time employees and nonprofits with fewer than 75 employees are eligible for free e-waste recycling from the manufacturer. Contact the manufacturer for this free service.

We hope you will follow these rules strictly for the betterment of the whole area.

For a smooth pickup service, only maintaining the rules is not enough. As a business owner, you have to take note of many things, such as the NYC garbage disposal schedule, NYC garbage collection schedule, garbage collection NYC schedule, etc.

Get Expert Help in Trash, Recycling, and Garbage Pickup and Schedule:

Commercial trash is a big arena. It includes medical waste, broken glass, asbestos, E-waste, organic waste, etc. If you own a large business that produces a tremendous amount of trash, handling this single-handedly is tough. Moreover, some waste components also contain harmful metals that need expert help.

Hiring a commercial cleaning company assures you of carefully dealing with these threatening materials. They have a combination of experienced employees and updated technology, which will help you manage employee health, hygiene, and proper trash removal.

Do you want to know more reasons? Here are those:

Trained Employees: If you have hazardous waste, such as electric batteries, used oil, asbestos, etc., due to the presence of harmful chemicals. You must hire an experienced person to dispose of these items. A minor mistake here can lead to severe contamination and health issues. For example, if you book a commercial cleaning service from Sterling Commercial Cleaning Service, you will get your work done by the experts. Also, get the cleaning done with updated technology.

Flexibility: We all love to enjoy things at our own pace. Due to DSNY rules, you must hire a private carter for your commercial trash. So, you have all the right to give up on worries like 'NYC garbage pickup schedule or NYC large trash pickup' and enjoy the flexibility. There are a lot of companies that provide this facility. Check their service page thoroughly and consumer feedback before booking the service.

Connect with a professional cleaning service company now and make the trash, garbage, and recycling product pick-up more accessible than ever.

Hire Sterling Cleaning Service and Keep All the Trashes at Miles Away!

Keeping your office clean and tidy is one of the basic steps towards a hygienic life; social responsibilities and only commercial cleaning services can help you reach the goal.
Hire a commercial cleaning service to ensure effective waste management and the best cleaning. Book a service now before you get into any legal trouble, or the amount of trash increases the tolerance level.