The New York City Council’s Committee on Sanitation and Solid Waste Management held a hearing on October 24 during which it examined safety at the Department of Sanitation (DSNY) and the dozens of private sector solid waste companies that serve commercial customers in the five boroughs. The hearing comes at a time of dramatic change in the City’s oversight of solid waste collection, as DSNY is requiring both most residential and commercial customers to place their waste in containers instead of black bags and reduce the amount of time waste can be sitting at the curb.
The hearing reviewed both worker and street safety, and revealed that DSNY and the private sector face ongoing safety challenges. DSNY testified that they had 760 worker injuries in Fiscal Year 2023. The Committee’s hearing report highlighted many accidents and incidents involving private companies, though most occurred prior to 2020. David Biderman testified that the e-bikes and lithium-ion batteries pose increasing threats to both collection workers and their trucks. Biderman also noted that the number of fatal incidents involving private sector trucks has declined substantially over the past few years. Paul Zambotta from Mr. T Carting testified about his experience being struck by a vehicle while on a route in Brooklyn last year.
Numerous union representatives testified that worker safety needs to be the top priority for both DSNY and the private sector. Several of them noted the impending implementation of the City’s Commercial Waste Zone (CWZ) plan, under which DSNY is selecting three companies who will be authorized to serve commercial customers in each of 20 new zones. This non-exclusive franchise system, enacted by the City Council in 2019 and delayed by COVID, is widely expected to start next year, and will dramatically change solid waste collection in New York City. Committee Chair Sandy Nurse and other Committee members asked CWZ-related questions to multiple witnesses.
With multiple new regulatory programs moving forward simultaneously, both DSNY and private companies that collect waste and recyclables in New York City should expect continued changes in the months ahead, and in 2024.