Setout Times Have Changed
Learn more about the new setout times for residents and businesses.
Businesses must comply with New York City recycling laws. They must recycle the same materials that residents recycle.
How to Avoid Violations
Contract with a licensed private carter and develop a plan for how waste will be collected and set out for your building. If your building management handles waste, work with them to be sure your business complies with their plan and the City’s recycling rules. The plan should comply with one of the following types of recycling collection: source-separated collection, co-collection, or single-stream collection.
NOTE: It is never, under any circumstances, permitted for recyclable material to be collected in the same bag with garbage or be placed in the same compartment of a truck or container with garbage.
Your business must post an official decal identifying all carters utilized. For more information, please visit the NYC Business Integrity Commission (BIC) Private Carting web page.
If your business prefers to transport your own recyclables, registration must be first obtained from the NYC Business Integrity Commission (BIC).
Property owners and building management must notify tenants, at least annually, about the recycling and waste management policies of the building. Policies must be compliant with NYC rules and a copy of this notification must be available upon request by DSNY.
Set up Customer and Staff Disposal Areas
All containers must have a label stating what material type the container is being used to collect. Post and maintain signs in public, staff, maintenance and waste storage areas describing how recyclables and garbage should be separated. All recyclable material must be kept separate from garbage at all times.
Tips
- Wherever there is a garbage bin, there should also be recycling bin(s).
- Color-code your recycling program. Check out our Business Resources page to download/print sample signs.
- Know the rules. Sign up for a business recycling training, download or order materials, or watch a webinar.
Reducing Single-Use Bag Waste
We encourage consumers to use reusable bags and to bring their remaining used plastic bags to participating stores for recycling.
NYC residents should take the Zero Waste Pledge and get a free reusable bag or cutting board. For more information on our commitment to reusable bags and reducing bag waste, visit on.nyc.gov/byobag.
New York State Plastic Bag Ban
New York State’s ban on single-use plastic bags will take effect on March 1, 2020. Certain types of plastic bags, listed below, are exempt from the ban. For more information on the state plastic bag ban, visit the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
New York City Paper Carryout Bag Reduction Fee
To support these efforts to reduce wasteful single-use bags, NYC enacted a local law, which authorizes a five-cent fee on paper carryout bags. This law takes effect on March 1, 2020.
Certain types of paper bags, listed below, are exempt from the fee. The fee does not apply to any customer using SNAP or WIC as full or partial payment for the items purchased.
For each five-cent fee collected, three cents is retained by the State Environmental Protection Fund and two cents is given to New York City to purchase and distribute free reusable bags. The fee must be listed separately on the receipt.
Retailers required to collect the fee should contact the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance for required forms, instructions and additional information.
Exemptions and Fees
The following types of bags are exempt from both the Plastic Bag Ban and the Paper Carryout Bag Reduction Fee:
- bags used solely to contain or wrap uncooked meat, fish, or poultry;
- bags used by a customer solely to package bulk items such as fruits, vegetables, grains, or candy;
- bags used solely to contain food sliced or prepared to order;
- bags used solely to contain a newspaper for delivery to a subscriber;
- bags sold in bulk to a consumer at the point of sale or prepackaged for sale to a customer, including trash bags and food storage bags;
- garment bags;
- plastic carryout bags provided by a restaurant, tavern or similar food service establishment to carry out or deliver food;
- bags provided by a pharmacy to carry prescription drugs.
Recycling
Paper bags should be recycled with mixed paper and cardboard or can be used for composting.
New York State’s plastic bag recycling law requires certain large retailers to take back all types of film plastic for recycling, including single-use plastic bags. For more information on the State’s plastic bag laws, visit the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
Foam Ban
Learn more about NYC’s ban on single-use foam food containers.