Fees for Garbage Pickup Could Be Coming

Individual water-metering has sharply reduced water use citywide. Based on that experience, the Department of Sanitation is exploring the idea of charging homeowners, including co-ops and condos, for garbage pickup based on weight. The more you throw away, the more you would pay.

The city has hired a consultant, paying $1 million to design a so-called “save as you throw” program, CBS New York reports. If adopted, single-family homeowners, renters, and co-op and condo owners would pay for garbage pickup, though it is not clear how much. The 1,200 cities that currently have such programs in place have different strategies and fees.

“There’s a huge cost to make everything disappear every day,” says DSNY commissioner Kathryn Garcia, noting that about one-sixth of the department’s $1.7 billion annual budget goes to shipping the city’s garbage to out-of-town landfills. In cities that charge for garbage pickup, she adds, “they often use cans, or they do it by weight, or they use bags or tags. Our real focus is what would be effective in incentivizing New Yorkers to recycle.” DSNY recently expanded its curbside collection of organic waste, with two of the largest apartment complexes in the city, Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village, signing on.

Based on New Yorkers’ response to water metering, Garcia is optimistic the prospects of a “pay-as-you-throw” program for garbage pickup. “They don’t take a half-an-hour shower,” she says, “and they don’t keep the water running while they’re brushing their teeth.”

Asked if property taxes would be reduced if garbage pickup fees were instituted, Garcia replied, “I’m not going to make that promise.” She added that a stepped-up enforcement program against illegal dumping would be one consideration if officials move forward. The million-dollar consultant is expected to have a more formal proposal within a year.