Mamdani Orders 700 Bins Into Brooklyn Parking Spaces

New York City is replacing curb-side trash bags with large metal containers in several dense Brooklyn neighborhoods. Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Sanitation Commissioner Gregory Anderson announced the start of this installation on Thursday.

Crews began placing more than 700 Empire Bins on streets in Downtown Brooklyn, Boerum Hill, Dumbo, Clinton Hill, and the Navy Yard. The rollout targets buildings with more than 30 units. Officials stated the work will be completed by the end of the fall.

The first bins were installed during a news conference in Brooklyn Heights. The city uses newly purchased garbage trucks to service these containers. The trucks lift and empty the bins, eliminating the need for residents to leave piles of bags on the sidewalk.

"Every New Yorker deserves clean streets and sidewalks," Mamdani said. "For too long, New Yorkers have had to walk past mountains of trash bags piled high on the curb that offer feasts for rats and stink up our streets. We're changing that."

The project will alter local traffic and parking availability. The sanitation department estimates the bins will occupy around 768 of the 23,795 on-street parking spaces in the area. Some neighborhoods may see 10% of their available spots taken by the bins. City data shows that more than 31% of households in these areas own at least one vehicle.

This move extends a program previously limited to schools and smaller buildings. Mayor Eric Adams introduced the bins to Brooklyn last September for school use. This is the first time the containers are being deployed for residential buildings in the borough. It is also the first deployment in such a dense area of the city. City Councilmember Crystal Hudson supported the legislation that mandated the rollout continue after Adams left office.

Rat sightings in Harlem decreased after a similar pilot program installed bins in that neighborhood. Officials expect similar results if the city fully containerizes its waste. The area receiving these new bins is home to 138,000 people. Trash bag piles will no longer be permitted there once the rollout ends, though recycling bags may still be placed on the curb.

The city plans to expand the program next year. Hunts Point and University Heights in the Bronx will receive bins. Sunnyside in Queens, Manhattan's West Village, Prospect Heights in Brooklyn, and Staten Island's North Shore are also scheduled for installation. Clarence Gilliam, a driver parking near the Navy Yard on Thursday, said he would keep driving but wanted easier parking. "If it gets rid of the rats, it's a good thing, but make it easier for people to park," he said.