One of the first elected officials to demand that New York City distribute free trash cans to many New York City homeowners as it prepares to modernize its trash collection process, Assemblyman William Colton (D—Gravesend, Bensonhurst, Bath Beach and Dyker Heights) is delighted that a program that provides for free distribution of the new trash bins, dubbed the NYC bin, to owners of one and two-family homes, as long as they are enrolled in the STAR or Enhanced STAR property tax relief program, finally appears to be moving forward.

Besides mandating free distribution of the rat-resistant bins to eligible homeowners, a law passed unanimously by the City Council back in February requires New York City to issue refunds to eligible property owners who have already purchased the new bins, whose use will be compulsory for one to nine-unit residential buildings as of June 2026. However, despite the passage of the legislation by a veto-proof majority, Mayor Eric Adams had expressed objections to the program and the necessary monies had not been specifically allocated, leaving the law – which was supposed to go into effect on August 1 – unfunded. According to press reports, a statement issued by the mayor’s office on August 6 indicated that the required funding would be forthcoming.

“I am extremely pleased that the city has now found funding to underwrite the cost borne by homeowners of purchasing the new, required bins,” said Assemblyman Colton. “For many city residents, having to shell out an extra $50 for a new garbage can, when they already have a serviceable one, is an undue burden, especially in this economy, as costs have soared on many necessities. In other places, as they have moved toward similar trash collection methods, the municipalities distributed the new bins free of charge. In New York City, where residents already pay high taxes, it only makes sense that the same be done.”

For these reasons, last fall, Assemblyman Colton started a petition demanding that the city provide those cans, which have been designed to be compliant with new equipment being added to the city’s garbage trucks, for free. At the time, the assemblyman pointed out that, when the city started its composting program, it gave out compost bins to New York City homeowners without charge.

In an October 11, 2024 letter to then-Sanitation Commissioner Jessica Tisch, Assemblyman Colton wrote, “It is true that rodents are a nuisance and a health hazard…. However, it is far from reasonable to demand that residents purchase a trash bin simply because it has the endorsement of you and the mayor along with your department’s seal on it. It is a great burden on senior citizens and low-income homeowners to purchase a bin if they already have one that is perfectly satisfactory.”