At Least 1,000 New Solar Trash Compactors Could be Coming to Busy City Street Corners
New York, NY – Legislation to be introduced tomorrow on Earth Day will require the City of New York Department of Sanitation to install solar-powered waste receptacles on at least 1,000 population-dense or high pedestrian traffic street corners throughout the City.
Introduced by Council Member Ben Kallos (D-Manhattan), this legislation aims to help keep our busiest intersections clean for longer periods of time by using solar-powered trash cans, which can reduce the need for collections by 70 percent on average. The trash compactors work by using solar panels to harness the energy that is then used to compact the garbage inside, allowing it to hold up to five times more waste than regular trash cans. The modern trash bins are fully enclosed and are highly effective at preventing trash overflow or windblown waste.
The solar-powered trash compactors also include the added benefit of preventing rats and other rodents from eating trash. Since trash does not need to be collected as frequently, the trash compactors also drastically reduce the use of plastic trash bags by the Sanitation Department, making them better for the environment.
“Every New Yorker has seen it. Garbage piled up at the corner because the trashcan is full or overflown when one regular can is just not enough,” said Council Member Ben Kallos. “These devices that hold up to five times the amount of trash that regular metal wastebaskets do are a no-brainer in terms of return on investment. They operate on solar power and require less crews picking up multiple times per day.”
While thousands of compactors have already been placed around the city in the past decade with municipal and nonprofit funding, this legislation would mark the largest expansion of these modern receptacles to date.
At a negotiated cost per receptacle, the City would likely spend under half a million dollars for the 1,000 receptacles that will improve quality of life and help make our busiest city streets cleaner. These costs would be offset by a reduction in the amount of daily pick-up rounds needed in certain high-traffic areas. Currently, Council Members are using expense funding to purchase these receptacles. However, by requiring the Sanitation Department to purchase and place them instead Council Members would see this expense funding freed up for other community uses. The City will have the opportunity to use the solar-powered trash cans as to advertise and have the trash can pay for themselves.
During Council Member Ben Kallos’ time in office in 2017 & 2019 he has used discretionary funding to purchase a total of 515 large, dome-shaped covered trash cans to place on every street corner on the Upper East Side. The purchase and installation of these larger trash cans has been largely credited with helping achieve cleaner streets and no more overflowing trash cans on the sidewalks of busy commercial corridors like on East 86th Street.
Int. No.
By Council Member Kallos
A LOCAL LAW
To amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to the installation of solar-powered waste receptacles
Be it enacted by the Council as follows:
1 Section 1. Chapter 1 of title 16 of the administrative code of the city of New York is 2 amended by adding a new section 16-143 to read as follows:
3 § 16-143 Solar-powered waste receptacles. a. The commissioner shall install solar-powered 4 waste receptacles on street corners in areas with high population density or high pedestrian traffic, 5 as determined by the commissioner, at a rate of no fewer than 1000 corners annually until such 6 waste receptacles have been installed on every street corner in every such area. Each community 7 board may recommend to the commissioner street corners that should be prioritized for installation 8 of such waste receptacles.
9 b. The solar-powered waste receptacles installed pursuant to subdivision a shall: 10 1. Be openable by use of a foot pedal;
11 2. Be designed to minimize rodent access and harborage; and
12 3. Have solar panels elevated above the top of the receptacle.
13 § 2. This local law takes effect 90 days after it becomes law.
LS #16778
NAB
2/24/21 12:40 PM
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