In New York City, you can put your garbage at the curb after 6:00 PM the night before your collection day if it’s in a bin of 55 gallons or less with a secure lid. If you live in a building with 10 or more units and the building uses bags on the curb instead of bins, the set-out time is after 8:00 PM. Everything must be out before the truck arrives the next morning, and the container rules now apply to every residential property in the city.1NYC311. Residential Trash Rules
Set-Out Times by Building Size
The Department of Sanitation splits residential properties into two groups, and the timing depends on which group you’re in and whether you’re using a bin or bags.
Buildings With One to Nine Units
Single-family homes and small apartment buildings must put trash out in a bin of 55 gallons or less with a secure lid, no earlier than 6:00 PM the evening before collection.1NYC311. Residential Trash Rules Bags on the bare curb are no longer legal for these properties. The containerization requirement took effect November 12, 2024, the first residential bin mandate in New York in more than 50 years.2NYC.gov. NYC Bin FAQ
Buildings With Ten or More Units
Larger buildings have a choice. Trash in a bin of 55 gallons or less with a secure lid can go out after 6:00 PM. If the building sets bags directly on the curb, the bags cannot go out until after 8:00 PM.1NYC311. Residential Trash Rules
The 4:00 AM Opt-In for Larger Buildings
Buildings with nine or more residential units can apply to set out waste between 4:00 AM and 7:00 AM on the collection day itself, rather than the night before. Sign-ups run January 1 through January 31 each year, and the schedule approved then runs April 1 through March 31 of the following year. Buildings already enrolled stay enrolled without reapplying.3City of New York. Larger Apartment Buildings Can Soon Again Opt In for Early Morning Waste Set-out Times A building that opts in gives up the evening set-out window entirely.
The Official NYC Bin Takes Over in June 2026
Right now, any lidded bin of 55 gallons or less meets the rule for one-to-nine-unit buildings. That ends in June 2026, when those properties must switch to the Official NYC Bin, a DSNY-designed container sold at Home Depot and through delivery apps. The most common size is capped at $50.4NYC.gov. NYC Bins – DSNY
Three sizes are available:
- 45-gallon, holds up to four kitchen-sized trash bags, recommended for multi-unit buildings.
- 35-gallon, holds up to three kitchen bags, aimed at smaller buildings and single-family homes.
- 25-gallon, holds up to two kitchen bags, for properties with limited space or low volume.
Matching bins for paper, metal/glass/plastic, and compost are sold alongside the trash bins but aren’t yet required.5City of New York. Official NYC Bin Availability Expands Citywide Ahead of June 2026 Compliance Deadline
Recycling and Compost Follow the Same Clock
Recycling goes out on the same schedule as trash: after 6:00 PM in a labeled bin with a secure lid, or after 8:00 PM if you’re using clear bags. Bags remain an option for recycling across all building sizes. Any outdoor recycling bin needs the correct DSNY decal so collection crews can identify it: blue for metal, glass, and plastic; green for paper and cardboard. Clear bags, if you use them, must be between 13 and 55 gallons.6NYC 311. Recycling Rules
Composting became mandatory for all NYC residents, and as of April 1, 2025, property owners can be fined for mixing compostable material in with regular trash. Food scraps, food-soiled paper, and yard waste are picked up weekly on your recycling day. You can use any labeled bin of 55 gallons or less with a secure lid, or buy an Official NYC Compost Bin. Printable labels are on the DSNY website. Bins can be lined with clear plastic, paper, or compostable bags, and extra yard waste goes in a paper lawn bag or clear plastic bag next to the bin.7NYC.gov. Curbside Composting – DSNY
To look up when your collection day actually falls, use the Collection Schedule tool at nyc.gov/dsny or the NYC 311 app. City holidays can shift pickup by a day. During snow emergencies, DSNY shifts crews to plowing and collection may be delayed or suspended; leave your bins out and crews will catch up once plowing is finished.8NYC.gov. Snow Operations FAQ
Items That Don’t Follow the 6:00 PM Rule
Some things can’t simply go out with your regular bin.
Bulk items. Oversized furniture, carpeting, and bundles of wood go out between 6:00 PM and midnight the night before your last garbage collection day of the week. Metal and rigid plastic bulk items like bed frames and patio furniture use the same window, but go out the night before your recycling day. Six bulk items per collection day is the limit; spread the rest across other pickup days.9NYC 311. Bulk Item Disposal
Mattresses and box springs. Each one must be sealed inside a plastic bag of any color except red or orange before it goes to the curb. Unbagged mattresses won’t be collected, and the fine is $50 for a first offense, $100 for a second, and $200 after that.10NYC 311. Mattress or Box Spring Disposal
Refrigerators and air conditioners. Any appliance that uses CFC or Freon has to have the refrigerant removed by a DSNY technician before it can go out. Call 311 or submit an online request for a free appointment, then put the appliance out on your regular recycling day.11NYC 311. CFC and Freon Removal
Electronics. State law bans computers, televisions, monitors, printers, keyboards, and similar devices from the trash. Setting them out for DSNY carries a $100 fine. Use a retail or nonprofit drop-off, a community e-waste event, or a DSNY Special Waste Drop-Off Site instead.12NYC.gov. Electronics Disposal Ban Brochure
Household hazardous waste. Automotive fluids, paint, pesticides, and certain medical waste cannot go in trash or recycling at any time. Bring them to a SAFE Disposal Event or a permanent Special Waste Drop-Off Site.
Christmas trees. Real trees and wreaths are now picked up on your weekly composting and recycling day. Remove all decorations and stands, and don’t bag the tree in plastic.13City of New York. Special Christmas Tree Collection is No Longer Special
Fines for the Wrong Time or Wrong Container
For one-to-nine-unit properties, failing to use a lidded bin of 55 gallons or less brings a $50 fine for a first offense, $100 for a second, and $200 for the third or beyond. The warning period ended January 2, 2025, so enforcement is live.14NYC 311. Residential Waste Containerization
Broader violations of the city’s receptacle rules under Administrative Code 16-120, which cover unsecured containers and loose rubbish on the sidewalk, generally run $100 to $300 for a first offense, with similar ranges for repeat offenses in the same 12-month period and $200 to $300 for a third violation within 12 months. The exact amount depends on the subsection cited.15NYC.gov. Sanitation Penalty Schedule
Illegal dumping under Administrative Code 16-119 is a different category entirely: $1,500 to $10,000 for a first offense and $5,000 to $20,000 for each subsequent one. Vehicle owners face the same ranges when their truck is used for dumping with their permission, so combined exposure can run to $40,000. Unpaid dumping penalties can lead to suspension of a driver’s license or vehicle registration.16New York Codes, Rules and Regulations. New York City Administrative Code – 16-119 Dumping Prohibited
If You Get a Ticket
Sanitation summonses are heard at the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings (OATH). The hearings are informal and you don’t need a lawyer, but you must respond on or before the hearing date printed on the summons. Ignoring it produces an automatic “in violation” finding and a higher fine.17NYC.gov. Hearings and Defaults
Four ways to contest:
- Online One-Click Hearing: submit a written defense through the OATH form on or before the hearing date.
- Phone hearing: request it through an online form at least three business days before the hearing date.
- In-person hearing: email livehearings@oath.nyc.gov at least five business days before the hearing date.
- Mail: send a written defense that reaches OATH before the hearing date.
If you need help and don’t have an attorney, text “OATHhelp” to 917-451-8829.