Refuse Collection
Recycling Collection
To Request Collection Services

The Department provides regularly scheduled curbside and containerized refuse collection services for every residential household, public school, public building and many large institutions in New York City. Curbside sites are collected either two or three times per week and containerized sites are collected from one to three times per week, depending upon individual need, which is based on population density.

In FY 2005, the Department assigned approximately 5,150 trucks each week to collect 54,200 tons of curbside residential refuse and assigned 400 EZ-Pack and Roll-on/Roll-off containerized trucks to collect an additional 7,300 tons. The amount of refuse generated by the 8 million residents of New York City is subject to seasonal variations.

The Department allocates weekly truck and tonnage targets to each of its 59 districts. These targets are closely monitored to ensure that productivity improvement goals are met. District Superintendents must constantly evaluate routes and tonnage in their districts to achieve these targets.

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The Recycling Program, which started in November 1986, is an integral part of the Department’s overall operation. The primary goal of the Department’s recycling collection operations is to reduce the amount of waste that must be exported. The Department’s recycling collection operation consists of several programs: curbside collection, containerized collection, school night truck collections, bulk metal recycling, tire disposal, special waste sites, leaf and Christmas tree collection, and chlorofluorocarbon (C.F.C.) evacuation.

The Bureau of Waste Prevention, Reuse, and Recycling (BWPRR) focusses on encouraging New Yorkers to reduce waste, reuse goods whenever possible, and recycle. BWPRR is also responsible for marketing recyclables and educating the general public about recycling, composting, and waste prevention.

Efforts include composting the City's organic waste and offering compost education through the NYC Compost Project in partnership with the City's botanical gardens.

Find complete information about recycling in NYC on NYCWasteLe$$.

Learn how to reduce waste at home, school, in agencies, and in businesses on NYCWasteLe$$. 

Visit NYC Stuff Exchange, a quick and simple online tool to find out where to donate, buy, or sell gently used goods in New York City.

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Private residences or non-profit organizations may request collection services for a specific address in writing via fax at (212) 788-3915 or by mail to:

NYC Department of Sanitation
125 Worth Street, Room 700
New York, NY 10013
Attention: New Service

The service request should simply state that the applicant is requesting Department of Sanitation collection services for his/her premises, and the following information/document should also be included:
1. Full address of the premises;
2. Name and daytime phone number of a contact person;
3. A copy of the Certificate of Occupancy (Temporary one is acceptable, not required for non-profit organizations that lease or rent their space);
4. For non-profit organizations only.  A copy of the Notice of Assessment Statement from the Department of Finance, or a letter from another City Agency stating that the organization receives funding from the Agency to operate at the address that they are requesting collection services for.

The applicant will be notified of the scheduled start date of services and the days of collections approximately 2 weeks after the Collection Office receives the request with all the required documents.  For additional information, please contact the Collection Office at (646) 885-4830.

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