NYC Agency Safe Handling Contract

The Agency Safe Handling Contract is available to mayoral agencies for the removal of ballasts, batteries, electronics, lighting, mercury waste, and sharps. DSNY manages the contract. Agencies are responsible for registering their own contracts and paying for any services they purchase.

Contract Registration

We recommend that each agency unit responsible for handling a specific type of material register individual contracts separately (your IT unit registers for electronics removal and your facilities unit registers for lighting removal). 

Visit CityShare and learn more about:

• Contract registration and the online AAO form
• Contract pricing
• Contract insurance requirements
  

Eligible Waste Materials

Ballasts: PCB ballasts, DEHP ballasts, and lead-containing ballasts.

Batteries: Most rechargeable batteries (and cell phones) are accepted under the Call2Recycle® program, a free and easy program set up by rechargeable battery manufacturers. 

Alkaline batteries are not considered hazardous and can be thrown away in the regular trash, but it is environmentally preferable to recycle them.

Electronic Waste: Computers, tablets, smartphones and other electronic devices.

Mercury-Containing Items: Lamps, thermostats, thermometers, compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), fluorescent tube lamps and high-intensity discharge (HID) lamps.

Sharps: Needles, syringes, glass vials, scalpels and microscope slides that have come into contact with infectious agents.

Services Offered

Mail-Back Service

The agency collects and consolidates universal waste into approved containers, then mails the sealed containers to the contractor using pre-paid shipping labels.

Removal Service

The agency orders large storage containers to collect universal waste, submits a pick-up request to the contractor when the containers are full. Removal service is available in peak or off-peak hours, with an option for express removal.

Broken-Waste Removal

This service offers safe removal of leaking batteries, broken lamps, and other hazardous broken waste.

Data Wiping Service 

Purge any sensitive information from all electronics before disposal. DSNY contractors provide mobile data wiping services, but agencies should check with their IT staff about the best way to remove sensitive information. The contractor can provide date wiping services on-site and give an itemized log of devices destroyed.

Safety Equipment 

Agencies can request spill kits, gloves, safety eyewear, respirators and signage.

Safety Training

Materials must be handled properly to protect staff and the environment. Learn more about safety training classes for City staff and facility managers.