Big trash bins are coming to Hunts Point, Fordham Heights and Long Island City: what the Sanitation rule means for your building

The city's big gray curbside trash containers, known as Empire Bins, are set to become permanent and spread to three more community districts in the Bronx and Queens under a rule proposed by the Department of Sanitation (DSNY), according to the agency's rule notice and amNewYork.

The bins replace piles of loose trash bags on the sidewalk with sealed, rodent-resistant containers in the curb lane. They started as pilots in Manhattan Community District 9 (Hamilton Heights, Manhattanville and Morningside Heights) and Brooklyn Community District 2 (Downtown Brooklyn, Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, DUMBO and nearby neighborhoods). Those pilots had been scheduled to end; under the new rule, both districts keep containerizing, amNY reported. The City Council passed a 2025 law, Local Law 180, that lets DSNY expand the program, the notice says.

Where it's expanding

• Bronx Community District 2: Hunts Point and Longwood.
• Bronx Community District 5: University Heights, Mount Hope, Morris Heights and Fordham Heights.
• Queens Community District 2: Long Island City, Hunters Point, Sunnyside, Woodside and Maspeth.

The two Bronx districts were part of a bin expansion Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced in April, amNY reported.

What buildings have to do

• 31 or more apartments: must put all trash (not bulk items) in on-street containers by June 30, 2027, or on the date their container is installed, whichever comes first. DSNY starts installing on April 1, 2027. During the application window, these buildings must send DSNY ownership and contact information using a form on its website.
• 10 to 30 apartments: can apply to use the shared on-street bins from Jan. 2 to Feb. 28, 2027. Buildings that don't opt in, or are turned down, must set out trash in rigid cans with tight-fitting lids bought from an authorized vendor by June 30, 2027.
• Unusual cases: DSNY can assign a different method to buildings whose layout doesn't fit, and must tell them at least two months before the deadline.

amNY noted the trade-off neighbors have raised in the pilot areas: the containers sit in the curb lane, which can mean fewer parking spaces.

How to weigh in

DSNY will hold an online public hearing on Microsoft Teams on Thursday, Nov. 20, at 11 a.m. To speak for up to three minutes, sign up by emailing mliguori@dsny.nyc.gov by Nov. 19 at 5 p.m. Written comments are due Nov. 20 and can be submitted on the city's rules website, by email to nycrules@dsny.nyc.gov, or by mail to DSNY at 125 Worth Street, Room 710, according to the hearing notice. Requests for accommodations such as a sign language interpreter should be made by Nov. 13.