Amendment of Rules Relating to Collection of Commercial Waste

Effective date: November 8, 2025

Proposed Rule Full Text
DSNY-Proposed-Amendment-of-Rules-Relating-to-Collection-of-Commercial-Waste.pdf

Adopted Rule Full Text
DSNY-Final-Amendment-of-Rules-Relating-to-Collection-of-Commercial-Waste-1.pdf

Hearing transcript
128636_9.02.25_NYC-Department-of-Sanitation_Public-Hearing-1wi-1.pdf

Adopted rule summary:

In 2019, New York City enacted Local Law 199 requiring the establishment of a new program for the collection of commercial waste. The program, known as the Commercial Waste Zones (CWZ) program, is a safe, efficient, and competitive collection program designed to provide high-quality service to New York City businesses while advancing the City’s waste diversion and sustainability goals. Pursuant to Local Law 199, codified in Title 16-B of the New York City Administrative Code (“Administrative Code”), the geographic area of New York City has been divided into 20 “commercial waste zones.” Following a request for proposals, the Department selected three private carters (entities that are licensed to collect waste from commercial establishments) to provide commercial waste collection services within each CWZ and five carters to provide containerized commercial waste collection services from dumpsters and compactors Citywide. The selected carters are referred to as “awardees.” The Department’s contracts with the awardees, entered into pursuant to section 16-1002(a) of the Administrative Code include standards for pricing, customer service, safety, environmental health, and requirements to promote the City’s commitment to recycling and sustainability. On January 2, 2025, the Department implemented the first CWZ—Queens Central. Following the implementation of Queens Central, the Department undertook a review of the CWZ rules to identify potential improvements based on lessons learned from implementing the first CWZ. The Department also established the implementation start date and final implementation date for the next two CWZs to be implemented after Queens Central—Bronx East and Bronx West. Through these rules, the Department implements those improvements and establishes the implementation start date and final implementation date for the next two CWZs to be implemented.