New York City's Trash Problem: A Century of Progress

New York City is known for a lot of magnificent things, but it's also known for its endless heaps of trash. Over 14 million tons of trash per year is created by the city's residents and businesses.

The city's garbage collection system is unlike any other system in the world. It's a magnificent symphony of city workers and private companies with a history of epidemics, mob ties, strikes, and environmental controversy.

The History of Garbage Collection in New York City

When Dutch settlers first founded the small town that would become New York back in the early 1600s, residents simply dumped their trash into the closest waterways, like a place called Collect Pond in lower Manhattan. But as more people arrived on Manhattan's shores, the garbage began to pile up.

The next 200 years, the city continued to grow and neglect any cohesive management of its refuse. Subsequent outbreaks of malaria, smallpox, whooping cough, measles, typhoid, cholera, and yellow fever killed thousands. By the 1840s, sailors claimed that they could smell the city six miles from the shore. New York was now one of the dirtiest cities in the world, with a population that had grown to 500,000 people by 1850, 10 times more than what it had been in 1800.

Finally, in 1881, New York established an official department of street cleaning. The department was responsible for collecting trash from the streets and disposing of it in landfills.

The Modern Garbage Collection System

The New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) is the largest municipal waste operation in the country. The department has over 7,000 uniformed sanitation workers and a $1.7 billion annual operating budget. The department has over 2,100 trucks that collect on average 12,000 tons of trash and recycling each day. When it snows, the department is also responsible for clearing the more than 6,300 miles of streets.

The DSNY's garbage collection system is a complex and efficient operation. The department's trucks collect trash from residential and commercial properties throughout the city. The trash is then taken to transfer stations, where it is compacted and loaded onto barges or trains for transport to landfills or incinerators.

The Environmental Impact of Garbage Collection

The DSNY's garbage collection system has a significant environmental impact. The department's trucks emit pollutants into the air, and the landfills and incinerators that the department uses to dispose of trash release harmful pollutants into the environment.

The DSNY is working to reduce the environmental impact of its garbage collection system. The department is investing in new technologies that will help to reduce emissions and improve air quality. The department is also working to reduce the amount of trash that it collects by promoting recycling and composting.

The Future of Garbage Collection in New York City

The DSNY is facing a number of challenges as it strives to manage the city's trash. The city's population is growing, and the amount of trash that is being generated is increasing. The DSNY is also facing increasing pressure to reduce its environmental impact.

The DSNY is working to address these challenges. The department is investing in new technologies that will help to reduce emissions and improve air quality. The department is also working to reduce the amount of trash that it collects by promoting recycling and composting.

The DSNY is committed to providing a safe and efficient garbage collection system for the city of New York. The department is working to reduce the environmental impact of its operations and to meet the needs of the city's growing population.