NYC to Implement Collective Containers in Waste Management Plan, But at the Cost of Thousands of Parking Spaces

While the city suffers from a bad reputation, justified, in the field of waste management, NYC is preparing to undertake a trial aimed at the establishment of collective containers in order to eliminate garbage bags deposited on the sidewalk. . However, this project involves the removal of approximately 150,000 parking spaces.

The New Times evokes in a recent article the progress of the city to better manage its waste. The city is indeed considering adopting containers, an approach which aims to “remove waste from the streets and place it in containers”.

Currently, each area of ​​the city has an assigned “collection day” (or more), to pick up bags dropped off directly on the sidewalks. The idea of ​​introducing a system of individual and collective containers is not new, but its implementation will require the elimination of 150,000 free parking spaces. According to a report published on May 3 by urban sanitation officials, some neighborhoods could see up to 25% of their parking spaces disappear. So it’s car versus trash…

The cost of implementing containerization has not been disclosed by the municipality, but is estimated to be “hundreds of millions of dollars over the next decade”, according to The New York Times. This project includes the acquisition of new garbage trucks with side openings – a model that does not exist in the US – an increase in the frequency of garbage collection and the installation of fixed containers in the streets.

With nearly 11,000 tonnes of garbage and recyclable products produced daily, the metropolis is considered the worst student in terms of waste management.

However, the plan may encounter resistance from some communities. The latter have already expressed concerns about the disappearance of 10% of available parking spaces on the city’s residential streets. Like all cities in the world, parking is a sensitive subject, even if New Yorkers walk a lot. They also use their cars a lot to get out of town for a weekend.

The pilot program, slated for the fall, poses a real challenge for New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who said in April, “We are committed to making this the cleanest city in the United States, and we are there. we’ll make it!”

After living in New York, you will find all other cities very clean.