New York City’s trash rules require every household to separate waste into three streams — trash, recycling, and compost — place each in a lidded bin or, where still allowed, a clear bag, set them at the curb only during specific evening windows on your collection day, and bring any bins back in promptly after pickup. Sanitation agents patrol for violations, and fines start at $25 to $50 and climb with each repeat offense.1New York City Department of Sanitation. Collection Laws for Residents
What Goes in Which Bin
NYC runs three separate residential pickups, and all three happen curbside on days set by your address.
Trash is anything that doesn’t belong in recycling or compost. For buildings with one to nine units, trash must go in a bin of 55 gallons or less with a secure lid; bags on the curb are no longer allowed for these properties. Buildings with ten or more units can still use bags for now while DSNY develops its containerization plan for larger properties.2NYC311. Residential Waste Containerization
Recycling splits into two parallel streams that get collected on the same day but need separate containers. One is metal, glass, plastic, and cartons. The other is mixed paper and cardboard. If you use bags, they must be clear so workers can see the contents aren’t contaminated. Cardboard should be flattened, tied with twine, and set next to the bins or bags; don’t use a cardboard box as a makeshift recycling container. No container can exceed 55 gallons or 100 pounds when full.3New York City Department of Sanitation. Recycling for Residents
Compost is now mandatory for every NYC resident. Food scraps, food-soiled paper, and yard waste must be separated from regular trash and placed in the brown bin DSNY provides or in your own bin of 55 gallons or less with a secure lid. A clear plastic, paper, or compostable liner keeps the bin cleaner between pickups. Compost is collected on the same day as recycling.4New York City Department of Sanitation. Curbside Composting
Your collection day depends on your address, not your borough. You can look yours up through the DSNY collection schedule tool on the city’s website.5NYC311. Trash, Recycling, and Compost Collection Schedule
When to Set Out and When to Bring In
Set-out times are the rule people get ticketed for most often, and they split by container type.
Bins with secure lids can go to the curb starting at 6:00 PM the evening before your collection day. This applies to trash bins at all buildings and to recycling and compost bins everywhere.5NYC311. Trash, Recycling, and Compost Collection Schedule
Bags, where they’re still allowed, go out later: 8:00 PM or later for trash bags at buildings with ten or more units, and the same 8:00 PM rule for clear recycling bags.3New York City Department of Sanitation. Recycling for Residents
Once your containers are emptied, any bins left on the sidewalk have to come back inside by 9:00 PM on collection day. If your pickup happens after 4:00 PM, you have until 9:00 AM the next morning to retrieve them.
The Bin Requirement and the 2026 NYC Bin
Right now, buildings with one to nine units can use any bin that holds 55 gallons or less and has a secure lid. Starting in June 2026, those properties must switch to the designated official NYC Bin for trash set-out.6New York City Department of Sanitation. NYC Bin FAQ Property owners and building managers must buy enough bins to hold all the trash their building generates between pickups.
Official NYC Bins are sold at Home Depot stores across the city, through homedepot.com for in-store pickup, and for delivery through DoorDash, Instacart, and Uber Eats. City agencies, nonprofits, houses of worship, and professional offices housed in residential buildings that receive DSNY collection are also covered by the bin requirement.
Bulk Items, Mattresses, Appliances, and Electronics
You can put up to six large items at the curb per collection day. If you have more, split them across multiple weeks rather than piling them out at once.7NYC311. Bulk Item Disposal
Mattresses and box springs have a rule that catches people out: every one placed at the curb must be fully sealed in a plastic bag taped shut, with no fabric exposed. Any color bag works except red or orange. Mattress bags are sold at hardware stores. Workers will skip an unsealed mattress, and leaving one out that way draws its own fine.8NYC311. Mattress or Box Spring Disposal
Refrigerators, air conditioners, water coolers, and other appliances that contain CFC gas cannot just be left at the curb. You have to schedule a CFC removal appointment with DSNY first. Trained staff come out, remove the gas, and attach a numbered tag; sanitation workers then collect the tagged unit on your next recycling day. Untagged appliances get left behind.9New York City Department of Sanitation. CFC Removal
Computers, televisions, monitors, printers, and similar electronics are banned from regular trash under New York State’s Electronic Equipment Recycling and Reuse Act.10New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Electronic Waste Recycling Residents can use free manufacturer take-back programs, drop-off sites around the city, or collection events. Call ahead before visiting a drop-off site to confirm it’s open and taking your type of equipment.11New York City Department of Sanitation. E-Waste Drop-Off Sites Wireless service providers are required to accept up to ten cell phones for free recycling.
Hazardous Waste, Sharps, and Christmas Trees
Paint, pesticides, motor oil, rechargeable batteries, compact fluorescent bulbs, and similar hazardous items do not go in trash or recycling. DSNY runs SAFE Disposal Events in all five boroughs each year where residents can drop these materials off at no cost; the events also take electronics, medications, and e-cigarettes.12New York City Department of Sanitation. SAFE Disposal Events The events are for residents only, not businesses.
Needles, syringes, and lancets go in a leak-proof, puncture-resistant container labeled “Home Sharps — not for recycling.” Once sealed, that container can go in your trash or be dropped off. Every hospital and nursing home in New York State is required by law to accept household sharps at no cost and without asking for identification.13New York City Department of Sanitation. Pharmaceutical and Sharps Drop-Off
Christmas trees are picked up year-round on your regular recycling day as part of the composting program. Strip off all lights, ornaments, tinsel, and the stand, and leave the tree bare and unbagged at the curb. Plastic wrapping makes a tree impossible to compost.4New York City Department of Sanitation. Curbside Composting
Snow and Ice on the Sidewalk
Property owners must clear snow, ice, and debris from the sidewalk and gutter in front of their building within four hours after snowfall stops. The hours between 9:00 PM and 7:00 AM don’t count toward that window, so an overnight storm effectively gives you until late morning. If ice is frozen hard enough that chipping it would damage the pavement, you can spread salt, sand, or ashes as a temporary measure and finish once it thaws.14American Legal Publishing. New York City Administrative Code 16-123 – Removal of Snow, Ice and Dirt From Sidewalks
First-offense penalties run from $10 to $150. A second offense within twelve months is $150 to $250, and a third or later offense is $250 to $350. Ignoring the violation notice adds another penalty of up to $350 on top of the original fine.
What the Fines Look Like
Sanitation enforcement agents issue Notices of Violation during patrols, and the cases are heard by the OATH Hearings Division (commonly called ECB cases). You can pay online, in person, or by mail, or request a hearing. Hearing officers cannot adjust the fine amounts, which are fixed by law.15Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings. About ECB
The most common fines:
- Trash set-out or bin violations: $50 first offense, $100 second, $200 third and after.
- Mattress or box spring not sealed in a bag: $50 first, $100 second, $200 third and after.
- Composting violations, buildings with 1–8 units: $25 first, $50 second, $100 third and after.
- Composting violations, buildings with 9 or more units: $100 first, $200 second, $300 third and after.
Repeat citations against the same property stack up quickly, which is the main reason property owners managing multiple units treat set-out times and bin rules as a daily operational issue rather than a formality.1New York City Department of Sanitation. Collection Laws for Residents
A Note on Businesses
DSNY does not collect from businesses. Any commercial tenant has to hire a private carter licensed by the Business Integrity Commission and display the carter’s BIC decal visibly from the street.16NYC.gov: Business. Information About Hiring a Private Carter If you run a business out of a residential building, confirm whether your waste is covered by DSNY collection or whether you need a carter.