DSNY says Empire Bin rollout is citywide policy; procurement and trucks are bottlenecks

Richard Day, a data coordinator in the Department of Sanitation’s Bureau of Public Affairs, told Manhattan Community Board 2 on Jan. 15 that the Empire Bin containerization pilot in Manhattan’s Community Board 9 has been successful and that containerization will be a citywide policy with an expected completion date of 2032. "The quick answer to that is we don't know yet," Day said of timing for specific districts, but he added that "the RAD Act requires rollout completion by 2032" and that the new administration has expressed support.

Day cited lower rodent sightings in the Manhattan 9 pilot and said residents and building supers have generally responded positively. He described Empire Bins as stationary street containers accessed with a key card intended primarily for building supers and management; users tap a card to open the bin and can deposit trash 24/7. "We give out a limited number of cards per bin," he said, adding that cards are issued to supers, porters and building management.

Board members pressed Day on how buildings are chosen and whether the law requires public engagement. Day said DSNY performed door‑to‑door outreach in the pilot and that the RAD Act itself does not prescribe a broad public‑engagement process: siting depends on infrastructure constraints (bus stops, trees, hydrants) and building locations. He said large buildings with 31 or more units will be required to use Empire Bins, 10–30 unit buildings may opt in, and 1–9 unit buildings will continue to use secure 55‑gallon containers.

On logistics, Day said the program requires specialized side‑loading trucks and cannot be implemented by retrofitting the existing rear‑loading fleet. "The trucks can't be retrofitted," he said, calling the required vehicles "sort of like a Frankenstein truck" and noting procurement of trucks and bins and route design are the principal hurdles. When asked about electrification, Day said DSNY tested an electric prototype but experienced winter performance problems that limit near‑term fleet electrification for this equipment.

Board members asked what the committee or neighbors could do to influence the rollout priority; Day said he did not have the final plan and that the mayor could set priorities, but urged that the board pursue follow‑up presentations and data requests. Members requested a fuller presentation with data from the Manhattan 9 pilot (adoption rates among 10–30 unit buildings, complaint figures and any survey data). The committee agreed to invite DSNY back for a detailed briefing.

The board indicated interest in drafting a resolution or follow‑up asking the administration to consider faster advancement or a local pilot placement in Community Board 2. The presentation concluded with DSNY offering to follow up on specific information requests by email.