STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — As Staten Island homeowners struggle to find and purchase a new trash bin ahead of the June 1 deadline, the city Department of Sanitation announced Wednesday it will not issue fines until September.
According to the New York City Department of Sanitation, the NYC Bin will be required for trash collection beginning June 1.
All properties with one to nine residential units will be required to use the official NYC Bin for trash set out, according to the city Sanitation Department. This applies to New York City homeowners, as well as agencies, non-profits, houses of worship, and professional offices in residential buildings.
The department announced that it will issue warnings only through Labor Day, with no summonses issued for using your current bin until Sept. 8.
“We’re doing a summer long warning period starting June 1 through Labor Day,” said Sanitation Commissioner Gregory Anderson, in a video posted to social media on Wednesday. “So if you don’t have your bin yet, you still have time.”
The Sanitation Department will begin writing warnings on June 1, the day the mandate officially begins.
“We’ve gotten a whole bunch of calls with people about questions with the garbage pail situation, and we have good news,” said Councilman Frank Morano, a Republican who represents Staten Island’s South Shore. “To many residents have already bought their bins, thank you. And to those who have been frustrated trying to track down those bins, don’t worry, you have a little bit more time. They are replenishing supplies every single day. And don’t worry, you’re not going to be fined just yet.”
The news comes a day after Borough President Vito Fossella called on the city Department of Sanitation to delay the mandate.
Fossella wrote a letter on Tuesday to the Department of Sanitation to extend the June 1 deadline to allow more time for stores to restock bins for residents to purchase. He noted that, with less than two weeks until the mandate begins, all three Home Depot stores have run out of stock.
“As such, numerous residents have called our office out of concern that, if stores are not restocked and they cannot acquire the bin they need, they will miss the deadline and be unfairly penalized with a fine,” said Fossella in the letter. “Accordingly, in the spirit of fairness, the June 1st deadline should be extended to a time deemed reasonable to sufficiently restock stores on Staten Island, to allow anyone the fair and reasonable opportunity to obtain their bin as required without penalization.”
Fossella said in a statement on Wednesday he was thankful to Anderson for “hearing our concerns and working with us to ensure Staten Islanders have a fair opportunity to comply with the new rules without unnecessary penalties.”
Earlier this month, a letter from the Staten Island delegation of City Council was also sent to the Sanitation Department urging the agency to delay enforcement of the new trash bins. The letter was signed by Morano, Minority Leader David Carr, a Republican representing the Mid-Island and South Brooklyn, and Majority Whip Kamillah Hanks, a Democrat representing the North Shore.
Property owners who are required to use the NYC Bin for trash collection could face a fine after Labor Day, when penalties are expected to begin following the warning period.
The fines are the same for existing residential containerization rules:
$50 for the first offense$100 for the second offense$200 for the third and subsequent offenses
While the city offers NYC Bins for plastics and paper recycling, it is not required.
More about the NYC Bin
Here are the different size bins for purchase:
45-gallon bin: Recommended for properties with multiple residential units. It can hold up to four kitchen trash bags.35-gallon bin: Recommended for small, single-family homes. It can hold up to three kitchen trash bags.25-gallon bin: Recommended for properties with space restrictions or not much trash. It can hold up to two kitchen trash bags.
Each bin is a different price.
They are available for purchase at Home Depot locations across New York City for in-store pickup via homedepot.com/NYCBins, or for delivery through DoorDash, Instacart, or Uber Eats.
On Staten Island, here are the Home Depot locations to buy a NYC Bin:
2501 Forest Ave., Mariners Harbor545 Targee St., Concord2750 Veterans Rd. West, Charleston
More than one million bins have been purchased thus far ahead of the deadline, according to the sanitation department.
NYC Bins are also available for recycling and composting — but they are only required for trash, according to the Sanitation Department.
The NYC Bin was unveiled in July 2024 as the next step in New York City’s plan to get black trash bags off the streets. The bins were selected to cost no more than $50 for the most common size, available in multiple sizes, are rat-resistant, easy to use by sanitation workers, and are compatible with mechanized collection trucks.