As Waste Piles Up in NYC, City Commits $40 Million for Cleanup

During COVID, New York City’s sanitation department took a major hit. Budget cuts of around $200 million put pressure on both public and private efforts to keep the city clean. NYC is now committing $40 million to clean up the mess.

57% of New Yorkers polled by the Comptroller's office said they felt the neighborhood they lived in was dirtier than the prior year, with examples being overflowing waste bins, reduced collections, trash on the street, and illegal dumping, among other things.

The budget cuts are part of larger story of pinched finances, as the private companies that collect commercial waste have also faced challenges such as dump fees and fuel cost increases, according to David Biderman, executive director of the Solid Waste Association of North America.

The $40 million in new spending will include more frequent emptying of trash cans to target spillover, funding illegal dumping countermeasures, rat-mitigation tactics, and other measures.

You can read the full story at Crain’s New York Business.

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