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New York City, often described as 鈥渢he city that never sleeps鈥�, is home to more than 8.5 million residents and is one of the densest cities in the world鈥攁bout 29,500 people per square mile, peaking at 72,500 in Manhattan. This density translates directly into an enormous daily waste stream. The city generates roughly 44 million pounds of waste per day, split between 23.8 million pounds from 3.5 million households, schools, and public institutions and 20.3 million pounds from nearly 200,000 businesses. Residential collection is the responsibility of the New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY), while the commercial stream is picked up by private haulers. The city uses a four-stream system: refuse, organics (compost), paper/cardboard, and metal-glass-plastic packaging.

New York City鈥檚 residential waste has not been containerized since the late 1960s. Instead, building staff and residents have been setting out bags directly on sidewalks. Predictably, this practice has had visible consequences: dirty streets, obstructions along pedestrian routes due to piles of bags, and an increase in rodent activity. After decades of thinking containerization was impossible in New York City, City leadership made it a priority to find a way to get it done.

鈥淭his is also about the look and feel and smell of our city streets,鈥� said Joshua Goodman, the DSNY鈥檚 Deputy Commissioner for Public Affairs and Customer Experience. 鈥淭rash bags on our streets make us a laughingstock. They are not welcoming. They hurt business. They hurt quality of life.鈥�

Why Containerization Is Complex in New York

Containerization is not new to global cities, but New York鈥檚 spatial constraints complicate its implementation. Many neighborhoods lack alleys, courtyards, or underground storage areas where bins could be placed out of sight. In practice, this means containers must often sit in the public right-of-way, sharing space with pedestrians, bicycle lanes, curbside parking, and loading zones. Climatic conditions add another layer of complexity: heavy winter snowfalls make wheeled containers challenging to maneuver and maintain, while ice and freeze-thaw cycles can accelerate wear and reduce reliability.

Recognizing this complexity, DSNY commissioned a dedicated study to understand how containerization could be tailored to differing and diverse neighborhoods and building sizes across the five boroughs. The study鈥檚 guiding principle was there is no one-size-fits-all solution; rather, the chosen system must adapt to density, street geometries, and operational realities.

Findings of the DSNY Study

The study produced several critical findings that shaped the city鈥檚 approach:

• Feasibility at Scale: DSNY found that containerization was viable on virtually all City streets through a combination of wheeled trash bins and on-street containers. This indicated that with careful siting and sizing, streets could successfully host containers without unduly compromising other curb uses or pedestrian access.
• Stationary Containers as the Preferred Technology: For high-density residential areas, stationary side-loading containers emerged as the best solution: they are safe, reliable, and more space-efficient at scale than numerous individual wheeled bins. By centralizing capacity into fewer, larger units, stationary containers reduce clutter, minimize maintenance procedures, and perform better in New York鈥檚 harsh winter conditions.
• Limitations of Wheeled Bins: While wheeled containers are easier to deploy initially, they are not optimal citywide inNew York. The study cited limited capacity, higher breakage rates, the need for auxiliary locking systems,susceptibility to theft, and poor performance in snow and ice. These drawbacks led DSNY to favor a stationary approach in dense contexts.
• Operational Model: Side Loading vs. Crane-Lift: DSNY evaluated a crane-lift approach but rejected it due to safetyconcerns and the requirement for 20 feet of overhead clearance, which is difficult to guarantee along New York鈥檚 tree-lined and wired streets. The side-loading approach was therefore selected for safety, quickness, practicality, and compatibility with the dense streetscapes.
• A Hybrid Building-Level Strategy: The final design called for a hybrid solution:

1. Buildings under 10 units: Two-wheeled containers
2. Buildings over 30 units: Stationary side-loading containers
3. Buildings with 10 to 30 units: Either option, depending on site, operational fit, and preference of building owners and managers

This classification ensures low-rise or small buildings can adopt a simpler bin model while larger properties contribute to, and benefit from, centralized stationary capacity.

The RFP and Vendor Selection

In March 2024, DSNY issued a formal Request for Proposals (RFP) to select a supplier for stationary containers citywide.The RFP set out clear technical and service requirements, including:

• Two standardized sizes for side-loading containers (2,000 to 2,200 liters and 3,000 to 3,200 liters) to match NewYork鈥檚 collection volumes and truck
• Material specifications favoring plastic and excluding metal for reasons of aesthetics, safety, weight, and noise,steering the city toward durable, quieter, and visually coherent street equipment.
• A mandatory cleaning and maintenance program to preserve container hygiene, function, and appearance over thelong term.
• A pilot phase in West Harlem as a proving ground ahead of broader

These criteria emphasized not only the product but also the service ecosystem needed to sustain performance and public acceptance. Following the evaluation, CONTENUR was selected with its OVAL container line. CONTENUR is a Spain-based global leader in urban waste-container solutions, offering innovative, sustainable and high-quality systems used in more than 40 countries. With over 40 years of experience and world leadership in the on-street stationary containers segment, the company designs, manufactures and maintains smart, ergonomic and durable products that help cities operate cleaner, safer and more efficiently. 鈥淥ur proven expertise managing on-street stationary container fleets for some of the world鈥檚 most demanding cities made us a perfect fit,鈥� said Florentino Macarro, CONTENUR鈥檚 International Development Director.

Deployment and Early Outcomes

The initial deployment began in April 2025 with installations at schools, followed in May by a rollout in West Harlem thatplaced approximately 1,100 containers, including at Columbia University residences. This early phase functioned as both aproof-of-concept and stress test across varied residential contexts. According to DSNY鈥檚 initial feedback, performanceindicators were strongly positive: high product quality, smooth service operations, and a very low incident rate in the firstweeks. Operationally, the pilot demonstrated New York City could move from bag-filled sidewalks to a containerized, orderly curbside without compromising service frequency or public space. “They blend right in, the public has been incredibly supportive, they’ve seen far fewer rats,” said Goodman.

Product-Service Proposition and Differentiators

One of the main takeaways is that the combination of product and service creates the conditions for long-term success.For DSNY, this means:

• Design fit: Stationary containers that integrate aesthetically, occupy minimal street footprint, and provide secure, high-capacity storage across waste
• Operational alignment: Compatibility with side-loading collection routines, safe ergonomics for crews, and resilience in winter conditions.
• Lifecycle stewardship: A structured cleaning and maintenance program that ensures the containers remain functional, odor-free, and visually acceptable, thereby supporting public buy-in.
• Modular scalability: Standardized sizes that allow DSNY to adjust capacity and coverage as neighborhood densities, recycling participation, and commercial patterns

This program also aligns New York with other cities, including Seville, Madrid, Abu Dhabi, and Singapore, that employ a versatile model across different climatic and cultural contexts with a consistent central promise: implement technology and service to 鈥渕ake daily life work, look good, and last.鈥�

鈥淲e firmly believe DSNY鈥檚 approach of including cleaning and maintenance within the program will be instrumental for its long-term success, as it will contribute to the overall level of acceptance by the citizenship,鈥� said Macarro.

Anticipated Benefits

The expected benefits are both operational and civic:

• Cleaner Streets and Better Public Realm: By eliminating piles of bags, containerization reduces litter, clears sidewalks, and improves pedestrian flow, delivering an immediate visual upgrade and lowering sanitation complaints. It also helps address rodent issues by reducing access to food sources.
• Efficiency and Reliability: Fewer, larger containers enable more predictable collections and less handling per volume of waste, reducing wear on crews and equipment while ensuring continuity during adverse weather. Standardized sizes streamline routing and vehicle operations.
• Safety and Noise Reduction: The side-loading approach avoids crane lifts and associated overhead risks, while the specified materials target lower noise and better street-level safety for residents and DSNY personnel.
• Longevity and Aesthetics: The maintenance mandate supports long-term durability, protecting the City鈥檚 investment and sustaining the project鈥檚 visual standards. A consistent look and feel help normalize container presence in the streetscape.

Risk Considerations and Mitigations

While early results are encouraging, there are a few challenges that DSNY has thoroughly studied prior to and keeps monitoring since implementing the program:

• Space Competition at the Curb: Curb space remains a contested
• Winter Operations: Snowstorms can stress any street-level system. Choosing stationary containers and side-loading collection reduces the vulnerabilities of wheeled bins and crane lifts, but snow clearance protocols and access management will be essential to maintain service reliability.
• Public Acceptance and Behavior: Containerization alters long-standing The program鈥檚 cleaning/maintenance requirement, the focus on aesthetics, and the pilot-led rollout all aim to sustain public trust and encourage correct usage across streams.
• Scalability and Equity: New York鈥檚 neighborhoods vary widely in building typologies. The hybrid model (wheeled bins for small buildings, stationary containers for larger ones) provides a scalable framework, but continued monitoring and adjustment by DSNY will ensure equitable service levels as the program

Why Other North American Cities Should Follow New York鈥檚 Lead

The New York City containerization initiative demonstrates that even in an urban center with extreme density, well-designed stationary containers aligned to side-loading operations can reconcile the demands of sanitation service with the constraints of street space and winter weather. The approach, formalized through a rigorous RFP, anchored by standardized container sizes, and safeguarded by cleaning and maintenance requirements, has already yielded positive early indicators in West Harlem and at schools, with more than 1,100 containers installed in the first phase and strong performance feedback from DSNY. By selecting CONTENUR鈥檚 OVAL solution, the City has committed to a product-service model that balances capacity, safety, aesthetics, and durability, offering a credible template for other high-density cities seeking to improve their current waste collection set outs and achieve a cleaner, more organized urban environment.

鈥淧eople just say to me, 鈥業 cannot believe how much cleaner it is. I cannot believe that I get space back in my home. I don鈥檛 have to store the trash inside the building,鈥欌�� Goodman said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 one of those things that鈥檚 really like, 鈥榃hat took us so long to do this?鈥欌��

For other large, high-density North American cities facing similar challenges (sidewalk congestion, rising waste volumes, rodent pressures, and the need for more efficient collection), New York鈥檚 Empire Bins (as CONTENUR鈥檚 OVAL containers are known there) offer a proven, scalable, and publicly accepted model. The system鈥檚 combination of standardized stationary containers, side loading operations, and guaranteed cleaning and maintenance provides a higher level of order, hygiene, and operational consistency that bag-based or wheeled carts set outs simply cannot match. As cities from Toronto to Chicago to San Francisco seek to modernize curbside management and reclaim public space, adopting the Empire Bins approach allows them to bypass years of trial-and-error and implement a solution already validated under some of the continent鈥檚 most demanding urban conditions. By leveraging New York City鈥檚 blueprint, these cities can accelerate progress toward cleaner streets, safer working environments, and a more resilient waste-collection future.

鈥淲e are thrilled to contribute to such a transformative program in a city like New York,鈥� Macarro said, 鈥渁nd I鈥檓 sure other cities with densely populated areas could benefit as well by adopting a similar solution.鈥�

David Biderman is CEO of Biderman Consulting.聽He has been a leader in the waste industry for more than 25 years and currently helps companies and local governments address safety and sustainability issues, supports their advocacy objectives, and assists technology solutions providers grow their market share within the industry. During his tenure with SWANA as its Executive Director and CEO, he helped it significantly grow its membership, visibility and leadership position concerning solid waste and recycling issues in the U.S., Canada and overseas. He served on the U.S. Department of Commerce鈥檚 Environmental Technologies Trade Advisory Committee (ETTAC) and multiple solid waste task forces in New York City. David joined SWANA in 2015 after 18 years with the National 91仓库 & Recycling Association, where he was General Counsel, Vice President for Government Affairs, and Safety Director. He has testified before numerous federal, state, and local agencies and councils, and has spoken about waste and recycling issues, policies, and trends at numerous international environmental conferences, including events in Asia, Latin America, Africa, and Europe. David can be reached at [email protected].

Ra煤l Am茅rigo is General Manager of CONTENUR USA Corp., where he plays a central role in driving Contenur鈥檚 New York project, one of the company鈥檚 most strategic international initiatives. Based in New York, Ra煤l leads the commercial, operational, and client-facing efforts supporting the city鈥檚 transition toward modern containerization solutions. He works directly with municipal stakeholders, including recurring coordination around Empire Bins installation, ensuring alignment between Contenur鈥檚 engineering capabilities and New York City鈥檚 long-term waste management objectives. With deep international experience from large-scale container deployments across Asia Pacific, Middle East, and now North America, Ra煤l brings global best practices to the region. Ra煤l can be reached at (917) 510-5939, e-mail [email protected] or visit .