Sanitation budget baselines cleaning services as department pushes containerization and citywide composting

The City Council’s Sanitation and Solid Waste Management Committee heard a detailed presentation from Acting Commissioner Javier Lohan of the New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) on the department’s fiscal 2026 executive budget and ongoing waste-system changes.

The executive financial plan proposes a $1.97 billion DSNY budget for FY 2026 and baselines funding for a number of cleanliness programs the council had pressed to make permanent. “I always say a clean city is a safe city,” Acting Commissioner Javier Lohan told the committee during his opening remarks, framing the administration’s proposal to baseline litter-basket pickups, precision cleaning crews and other quality‑of‑life services.

Why it matters: The executive plan locks recurring local funding behind services that the mayor and DSNY say have been elevated under the current administration, while the department simultaneously implements operational changes intended to reduce rodent pressure and mechanize collection — most visibly through containerization and universal curbside organics collection. Council members used the hearing to press DSNY on the tradeoffs — cost, implementation, effects on nonprofits and business improvement districts (BIDs), and the department’s ability to deliver promised outcomes.

Most important elements of the budget and operations - Budget totals and headcount: DSNY said the FY 2026 expense budget is $1.97 billion with 9,587 full‑time positions budgeted in DSNY’s plan narrative and an adopted headcount target the department described to the committee. DSNY testified that the executive plan restores prior-year peg reductions and increases baseline funding across multiple cleanliness programs. - Litter baskets and precision cleaning: The executive plan baselines $29,700,000 in FY 2026 for litter‑basket pickups (rising to $31,000,000 by FY 2028) and adds $1,100,000 for precision cleaning in FY 2026 to support 21 new uniform positions for targeted sites with persistent illegal dumping and litter complaints. Lohan said precision cleaning crews had already cleaned thousands of locations in FY 2025 and that the program will use 311 data and a mobile field app to prioritize sites. - Lot cleaning backlog: DSNY told the committee it received roughly 1,400 lot‑cleaning requests in the first four months of FY 2025 but cleaned only about 26 lots in that period; the department said it now has funding for roughly 15 positions (about 10 daily crews) and a backlog of about 1,773 lots. Commissioner Lohan described the FY 2026 funding as sufficient to “maintain the current level of service” but not to eliminate the backlog quickly. - Containerization and set‑out rules: DSNY is advancing broader on‑street container pilots and an aggressive containerization rule that already requires residential buildings with one to nine units to use a covered bin. Lohan said more than 800,000 official New York City bins have been purchased through the city program and that containerization has been associated internally with citywide declines in rat sightings. The department said it is piloting “empire bins” and “stationary entree containers” in Manhattan Community District 9 (West Harlem) and plans to evaluate the results after June 1 deployment. - Curbside organics and fines: The department said April’s first full month of mandatory curbside composting diverted just over 18,000,000 pounds of residential organics and that preliminary citywide diversion was about 20% in April 2025 — up from earlier baselines. DSNY also said it paused most fines to focus on outreach and education, shifting field supervisors to do door‑to‑door visits; the department reported roughly 3,200 outreach visits since the pause. Lohan said fines continue to be issued in limited cases (notably for 30+ unit buildings after warnings). - Commercial waste zone rollout and enforcement: DSNY reported the first waste zone (Corona/Elmhurst/Jackson Heights) has been launched and that the department is writing safety violations and escalating fines for noncompliance. DSNY said the Bronx zones will be implemented later this year and citywide rollout is planned by the end of 2027. The department told the committee it expects the zones to reduce vehicle miles traveled and to incentivize diversion by lowering the cost to businesses for recycling and composting compared with trash collection. - Waste export: Council members asked about DSNY’s FY 2025 waste‑export spending; DSNY reported export costs were about $495,000,000 for FY 2025 and said the largest variables remain per‑ton charges and tonnage levels. The department argued long‑term reductions in export costs will depend on higher diversion and other infrastructure investments. - Capital and facilities: DSNY’s executive capital commitment plan totals $1.6 billion over FY 2025–29, including major funding lines for new garages in the Bronx and Queens and equipment investments. Lohan said three new garages or related facilities will open this calendar year.

Council concerns and departmental clarifications Council members repeatedly pressed DSNY on equity in service allocation across boroughs and community districts, asking why some districts report persistent trash, overflowing baskets, or missing litter baskets while others do not. DSNY said it uses 311, borough command field observations, and weekly “trash dash” data meetings to reallocate crews and that the restored baseline funding will allow more dynamic and seasonal deployment. Several council members from majority‑Black and majority‑Latino districts urged the department to move faster and to work with council offices and community organizations to address hotspots.

Council members also pressed DSNY on the operational and fiscal impacts of containerization on private nonprofits and BIDs that have historically supplemented city sanitation services. DSNY said it extended a warning period through the end of the calendar year and has met with most BIDs; the department described alternatives such as centralized pickup locations and adding baskets on corridors where feasible. Nonprofit providers and BID leaders told the committee they face multi‑hundred‑thousand‑dollar costs to buy, install, and maintain containers and asked the council and administration for help to avoid service loss.

What to watch next - Results from the West Harlem pilot and DSNY’s analysis of changes in rat sightings and service outcomes. - The Bronx rollout schedule for commercial waste zones and whether community‑level complaints spike or decrease during expansion. - Follow‑up from DSNY on lot‑cleaning outcomes once the new positions are fully staffed and on any additional funding the department may seek to clear the backlog.

Ending: Forward‑looking details and oversight DSNY characterized the executive budget as a move from ad‑hoc, year‑to‑year funding decisions toward baseline, multi‑year allocations for cleaning programs. The committee made clear it will continue oversight on program equity, the operational impacts of containerization on supplemental providers and small businesses, and the department’s plan to use data to drive resource allocation. DSNY said it will provide the committee more granular data on 311 trends, precision cleaning outcomes, and pilot evaluations in the weeks ahead.