In Response to Your Demand! NYC Sanitation Offers Smaller Trash Bins

April 24, 2025

A 25-Gallon Official NYC Trash Bin Now Available

Building on the success of New York City's efforts to containerize all trash, the NYC Department of Sanitation is announcing that residents now have an additional option when considering which Official trash bin is right for their household, making a smaller trash bin available for purchase.

Since November 2024, residents living in buildings with 1- to 9- residential units have been required to set out their trash in bins with secure lids. While some choose to use a bin of their own, others have decided to get a head start on the June 2026 requirement to use Official trash bins and have already ordered their Official bin, previously available in 35- or 45-gallon sizes. In response to requests from residents and elected officials, the Department of Sanitation is announcing the availability of a smaller bin – 25-gallons. To date, more than 750,000 official trash bins have been ordered, helping keep the city clean and rat-free.

"We are proud to be able to offer City residents with even more choices in finding the right waste bin to meet their individual or building's needs," said Javier Lojan, Acting Sanitation Commissioner. "It's no surprise that locking up the ick helps keep our city clean and helps keep the rats away – and we are already seeing the benefits of the move to containerization. We thank Council Member Restler to starting the conversation about the desire for a smaller bin and are happy to be able to be able to make the smaller bin available for purchase." 

The smaller trash bins will meet more needs of more New Yorkers. Smaller bins may be better able to fit into some smaller "trash bin enclosures" already built and used by many homeowners. Additionally, smaller bins may be easier for some residents to lift and move and may better match the amount of waste produced by smaller households.

The 25-gallon Official trash bin is available for purchase for $43.88 at www.bins.nyc.

Trash bins are part of the Department of Sanitation's Trash Revolution - the effort to move trash from black bags on the sidewalk to rat-resistant, closed containers:

1. In October 2022, the Adams administration kicked off the Trash Revolution by changing set-out times for both residential and commercial waste from 4:00 PM — one of the earliest set-out times in the country — to 8:00 PM in April 2023, while also allowing earlier set-out if the material is in a container.
2. Later that month, DSNY published its "Future of Trash" report, the first meaningful attempt to study containerization models in New York City, and the playbook to get it done.
3. In August 2023, containerization requirements went into effect for all food-related businesses in New York City. These businesses — restaurants, delis, bodegas, bars, grocery stores, caterers, etc. — produce an outsized amount of the type of trash that attracts rats.
4. That same month, installation of the initial 10-block, 14-school Manhattan Community Board 9 pilot containers began.
5. In September 2023, commercial containerization requirements extended to chain businesses of any type with five or more locations in New York City. These chain businesses tend to produce a large total volume of trash.
6. Last February, Mayor Adams and Commissioner Tisch unveiled a new, automated, side-loading garbage truck and a new data-driven containerization strategy, affirming a commitment from Mayor Adams' 2024 State of the City address to set New York City on the course to store all trash put out for pickup in containers.
7. On March 1, 2024, container requirements went into effect for all businesses — of every type — in New York City to get their trash off the streets and into a secure bin.
8. On November 12, 2024, container requirements go into effect for low-density residential buildings — those with one to nine units – as well as for city agency buildings, houses of worship, and special use buildings. Now, approximately 70 percent of all trash in the city will be covered by container requirements. New Yorkers can purchase the official NYC Bin online, and use of that specific low-cost bin will become required in June 2026.
9. In the spring of 2025, the Department began the installation of stationary on-street containers known as Empire Bins will begin in Manhattan Community Board 9 for the first full-district containerization pilot, serviced by new automated side-loading trucks.

For more information on the move toward containerization, visit www.nyc.gov/Bins.