Jessica Tisch

My name is Jessica Tisch. I am the New York City Sanitation Commissioner.

Sanitation is the essential service in any city, but particularly in New York City. Every day, we leave 44 million pounds of trash out on our curbs. And from my perspective as a lifelong New Yorker, New York City hasn't really changed the way we manage that trash in decades. For the past 50 years, we have been leaving our trash out on our curbs in black trash bags. It looks gross.

Sanitation is the essential service in any city, but particularly in New York City. Every day, we leave 44 million pounds of trash out on our curbs. And from my perspective as a lifelong New Yorker, New York City hasn't really changed the way we manage that trash in decades. For the past 50 years, we have been leaving our trash out on our curbs in black trash bags. It looks gross.

Sanitation is the essential service in any city, but particularly in New York City. Every day, we leave 44 million pounds of trash out on our curbs. And from my perspective as a lifelong New Yorker, New York City hasn't really changed the way we manage that trash in decades. For the past 50 years, we have been leaving our trash out on our curbs in black trash bags. It looks gross.

In the summer, it smells gross. One third of the material in those black bags is human food. And unfortunately, human food is also rat food. So we dump all this trash in our curbs and we sit around and we wonder why we have a rat problem. The single biggest swing that you can take at the rat problem in New York City is getting the trash bags off of the streets.

In the summer, it smells gross. One third of the material in those black bags is human food. And unfortunately, human food is also rat food. So we dump all this trash in our curbs and we sit around and we wonder why we have a rat problem. The single biggest swing that you can take at the rat problem in New York City is getting the trash bags off of the streets.

In the summer, it smells gross. One third of the material in those black bags is human food. And unfortunately, human food is also rat food. So we dump all this trash in our curbs and we sit around and we wonder why we have a rat problem. The single biggest swing that you can take at the rat problem in New York City is getting the trash bags off of the streets.

And that is what we have set out to do. We don't want the bags on the streets. Instead, we want our trash in containers. Most cities around the world have been containerizing their trash for decades. New York City is not going to be the first city to do this. In fact, we are definitely going to be one of the last. This is long overdue, and it works everywhere else.

And that is what we have set out to do. We don't want the bags on the streets. Instead, we want our trash in containers. Most cities around the world have been containerizing their trash for decades. New York City is not going to be the first city to do this. In fact, we are definitely going to be one of the last. This is long overdue, and it works everywhere else.

And that is what we have set out to do. We don't want the bags on the streets. Instead, we want our trash in containers. Most cities around the world have been containerizing their trash for decades. New York City is not going to be the first city to do this. In fact, we are definitely going to be one of the last. This is long overdue, and it works everywhere else.

We have developed, I would say, a gorgeous, new, standardized New York City official wheelie bin. A lot of people laugh at us because they think we sound like we have discovered the wheelie bin. We acknowledge that we have not. Nonetheless, we have a standardized wheelie bin now in New York City that all one to nine people unit residential buildings will be required to use.

We have developed, I would say, a gorgeous, new, standardized New York City official wheelie bin. A lot of people laugh at us because they think we sound like we have discovered the wheelie bin. We acknowledge that we have not. Nonetheless, we have a standardized wheelie bin now in New York City that all one to nine people unit residential buildings will be required to use.

We have developed, I would say, a gorgeous, new, standardized New York City official wheelie bin. A lot of people laugh at us because they think we sound like we have discovered the wheelie bin. We acknowledge that we have not. Nonetheless, we have a standardized wheelie bin now in New York City that all one to nine people unit residential buildings will be required to use.

you would need in those buildings too many of those wheelie bins, it would become unwieldy. So instead, for those large buildings, we are going to put large fixed on-street containers. These containers are about four cubic yards. The bins do take up parking spaces, but because they are being used just for the large buildings of 30 units or more,

you would need in those buildings too many of those wheelie bins, it would become unwieldy. So instead, for those large buildings, we are going to put large fixed on-street containers. These containers are about four cubic yards. The bins do take up parking spaces, but because they are being used just for the large buildings of 30 units or more,

you would need in those buildings too many of those wheelie bins, it would become unwieldy. So instead, for those large buildings, we are going to put large fixed on-street containers. These containers are about four cubic yards. The bins do take up parking spaces, but because they are being used just for the large buildings of 30 units or more,

It's not as big a hit to parking citywide as you may otherwise expect. We estimate that it's about 3% citywide.

It's not as big a hit to parking citywide as you may otherwise expect. We estimate that it's about 3% citywide.

It's not as big a hit to parking citywide as you may otherwise expect. We estimate that it's about 3% citywide.

Sanitation workers cannot lift these four cubic yard containers. In the United States, we didn't have a large automated side loading truck that worked in cities. And so we developed that truck with some vendors who do work in Europe. And we rolled out the first of these automated side loading trucks that are going to hoist these four cubic yard containers.