New York City brought its “Empire Bins” garbage container program to Brooklyn’s residential buildings for the first time Thursday, installing one of the 793-gallon bins outside 8 Garden Place in Brooklyn Heights.<\/p>\n
“They’re pretty big,” said Taylor Bell, who lives in the area, “I don’t know what to think quite yet…A little bit of an eyesore.”<\/p>\n
On the other hand, Tommy Valtin-Irwin, who lives at 8 Garden Place, said, “I really don’t mind it. I think they look cute.”<\/p>\n
The city plans to install 700 of the Empire Bins across Brooklyn Community District 2 by the end of the fall. The district includes Downtown Brooklyn, Boerum Hill, Brooklyn Heights, Fulton Ferry, DUMBO, Vinegar Hill, Fort Greene, Clinton Hill and Brooklyn Navy Yard.<\/p>\n
“The effects that these bins will have on our city will be nothing short of transformative,” Mayor Zohran Mamdani said at a press conference. “They will reduce the amount of pests by making it harder for rats and roaches to find their next meal. They will improve sidewalk access.”<\/p>\n
According to city policy, any building with more than 30 residential units is required to get an Empire Bin, while buildings with between ten and 30, like 8 Garden Place, have the choice of the bin, which the city pays for, or sticking with individual containers.<\/p>\n
“You can probably see our trash is in a ridiculous state,” said Valtin-Irwin, gesturing to the overflowing individual “NYC Bins” behind him.<\/p>\n