All topics / Basic Services for All New Yorkers
Department of Sanitation
The Department of Sanitation traces its lineage to the Department of Street Cleaning, created in 1881, and took its current name in 1929. DSNY now collects roughly 24 million pounds of trash, recycling, and compostable material every day, operating 59 district garages and a fleet of more than 2,000 collection trucks, and clears snow and ice from the city's approximately 19,000 lane-miles of streets.
What's working
- How many recycling summonses and warnings were issued?: 54,871 summonses — increasing across two enforcement waves tied to new recycling and composting rules
- How many tons of organics were diverted?: 16,350,000 organics — increasing as citywide curbside composting rolled out borough by borough
- How many needles were removed?: 20,955 needles — increasing, largely reflecting incidental discovery during routine cleanups
- and 3 more below
What's getting worse
- What percent of trucks dumped on shift?: 41.5% — increasing overall, though composting's two-bin trucks have slowed recent shifts
- How many lots cleaned citywide cases are there?: 101 lots — decreasing, which DSNY attributes to budget cuts to the program
- How many snow activation events are there?: 13 events — decreasing, though this simply tracks how many storms hit each year
- and 4 more below
Critical indicators
With a numeric target
How many refuse tons per truck-shift cases are there?
9.9Misses target by 0.8
How many refuse tons per truck-shift cases are there?
9.9Misses target by 0.8
* Year to date — this fiscal year isn't complete, so it's not compared against prior years in the target/trend status above.
View as table
| Fiscal year | Actual | Target |
|---|---|---|
| FY22 | 9.4 | 10.7 |
| FY23 | 9.5 | 10.7 |
| FY24 | 10 | 10.7 |
| FY25 | 10.2 | 10.7 |
| FY26 (YTD) | 9.9 | 10.7 |
9.9 in FY26 — missed the City's own target for this indicator (0.8 below the 10.7 target), though it has trended toward improvement over the past 3 years of reported data.
Why this is tracked
DSNY traces to the 1881 Department of Street Cleaning, one of the first sanitation agencies anywhere to clean streets and remove snow across every neighborhood regardless of class, rather than only in wealthier districts. Colonel George Waring's tenure in the 1890s built the organized, uniformed collection system that made citywide service actually work in practice. Since Fresh Kills, once the world's largest landfill, closed in 2001 after decades of community opposition, New York has had to export essentially all of its residential garbage out of state, making efficient, reliable collection and disposal an ongoing logistical and financial challenge, not just a historical one.
A History of Heroism - Sanitation Foundation, Fresh Kills Landfill - Wikipedia
How many recycling tons per truck-shift cases are there?
5.1Misses target by 1.1
How many recycling tons per truck-shift cases are there?
5.1Misses target by 1.1
* Year to date — this fiscal year isn't complete, so it's not compared against prior years in the target/trend status above.
View as table
| Fiscal year | Actual | Target |
|---|---|---|
| FY22 | 5.2 | 6.2 |
| FY23 | 5.2 | 6.2 |
| FY24 | 5.1 | 6.2 |
| FY25 | 5.1 | 6.2 |
| FY26 (YTD) | 5.1 | 6.2 |
5.1 in FY26 — missed the City's own target for this indicator (1.1 below the 6.2 target), and it has trended in the wrong direction over the past 3 years of reported data.
Why this is tracked
New York City Council enacted Local Law 19 of 1989, the city's first mandatory recycling law, after roughly two years of negotiation among councilmembers, the Koch administration, and environmental advocates, setting an initial 25% recycling target for the mid-1990s. The law followed a smaller 1986 pilot program collecting newspapers, and it aimed to reduce dependence on Fresh Kills landfill, which was already straining under the volume of the city's waste. When Fresh Kills, then the world's largest landfill, closed in 2001 under a 1996 state law and community pressure, New York lost its last in-city disposal option and now exports nearly all residential garbage out of state, making recycling and other diversion programs central to controlling the city's waste footprint and cost.
New York City's History-Making Recycling Law Turns 25 - NRDC, Fresh Kills Landfill - Wikipedia
What percent of trucks dumped on shift?
41.5% — increasing overall, though composting's two-bin trucks have slowed recent shiftsMisses target by 4.1%
What percent of trucks dumped on shift?
41.5% — increasing overall, though composting's two-bin trucks have slowed recent shiftsMisses target by 4.1%
* Year to date — this fiscal year isn't complete, so it's not compared against prior years in the target/trend status above.
View as table
| Fiscal year | Actual | Target |
|---|---|---|
| FY22 | 35.7% | 45.6% |
| FY23 | 42.1% | 45.6% |
| FY24 | 56.8% | 45.6% |
| FY25 | 51.1% | 45.6% |
| FY26 (YTD) | 41.5% | 45.6% |
The FY24 peak (56.8%) followed operational changes DSNY made to truck routing that year. The subsequent decline is tied to the citywide rollout of curbside composting: many collection trucks now carry two separate bins and must offload at two different facilities, often far apart, which takes more time and leaves less room in a shift to complete a second trip to the dump.
Researched July 16, 2026 — DSNY, Fiscal 2024 Mayor's Management Report, DSNY, Fiscal 2025 Mayor's Management Report, DSNY, Preliminary Fiscal 2026 Mayor's Management Report
Why this is tracked
DSNY traces to the 1881 Department of Street Cleaning, one of the first sanitation agencies anywhere to clean streets and remove snow across every neighborhood regardless of class, rather than only in wealthier districts. Colonel George Waring's tenure in the 1890s built the organized, uniformed collection system that made citywide service actually work in practice. Since Fresh Kills, once the world's largest landfill, closed in 2001 after decades of community opposition, New York has had to export essentially all of its residential garbage out of state, making efficient, reliable collection and disposal an ongoing logistical and financial challenge, not just a historical one.
A History of Heroism - Sanitation Foundation, Fresh Kills Landfill - Wikipedia
What is the DSNY-collected diversion rate?
18.5%Misses target by 4.5%
What is the DSNY-collected diversion rate?
18.5%Misses target by 4.5%
* Year to date — this fiscal year isn't complete, so it's not compared against prior years in the target/trend status above.
View as table
| Fiscal year | Actual | Target |
|---|---|---|
| FY22 | 17% | 23% |
| FY23 | 17.2% | 23% |
| FY24 | 17.5% | 23% |
| FY25 | 18.5% | 23% |
| FY26 (YTD) | Not available | 23% |
18.5% in FY25 — missed the City's own target for this indicator (4.5% below the 23% target), though it has trended toward improvement over the past 3 years of reported data.
Why this is tracked
New York City Council enacted Local Law 19 of 1989, the city's first mandatory recycling law, after roughly two years of negotiation among councilmembers, the Koch administration, and environmental advocates, setting an initial 25% recycling target for the mid-1990s. The law followed a smaller 1986 pilot program collecting newspapers, and it aimed to reduce dependence on Fresh Kills landfill, which was already straining under the volume of the city's waste. When Fresh Kills, then the world's largest landfill, closed in 2001 under a 1996 state law and community pressure, New York lost its last in-city disposal option and now exports nearly all residential garbage out of state, making recycling and other diversion programs central to controlling the city's waste footprint and cost.
New York City's History-Making Recycling Law Turns 25 - NRDC, Fresh Kills Landfill - Wikipedia
How many tons of refuse were disposed?
2,312,900 tonsBeats target by 837,100 tons
How many tons of refuse were disposed?
2,312,900 tonsBeats target by 837,100 tons
* Year to date — this fiscal year isn't complete, so it's not compared against prior years in the target/trend status above. The dashed marker projects a full-year estimate at the current year-to-date pace.
View as table
| Fiscal year | Actual | Target |
|---|---|---|
| FY22 | 3,351,100 tons | 3,150,000 tons |
| FY23 | 3,162,500 tons | 3,150,000 tons |
| FY24 | 3,202,500 tons | 3,150,000 tons |
| FY25 | 3,153,600 tons | 3,150,000 tons |
| FY26 (YTD) | 2,312,900 tons | 3,150,000 tons |
| FY26 (projected) | ~3,083,867 tons |
2,312,900 tons in FY26 — met the City's own target for this indicator (837,100 tons below the 3,150,000 tons target), and it has trended toward improvement over the past 3 years of reported data.
Why this is tracked
DSNY traces to the 1881 Department of Street Cleaning, one of the first sanitation agencies anywhere to clean streets and remove snow across every neighborhood regardless of class, rather than only in wealthier districts. Colonel George Waring's tenure in the 1890s built the organized, uniformed collection system that made citywide service actually work in practice. Since Fresh Kills, once the world's largest landfill, closed in 2001 after decades of community opposition, New York has had to export essentially all of its residential garbage out of state, making efficient, reliable collection and disposal an ongoing logistical and financial challenge, not just a historical one.
A History of Heroism - Sanitation Foundation, Fresh Kills Landfill - Wikipedia
How many lots cleaned citywide cases are there?
101 lots — decreasing, which DSNY attributes to budget cuts to the programMisses target by 3,099 lots
How many lots cleaned citywide cases are there?
101 lots — decreasing, which DSNY attributes to budget cuts to the programMisses target by 3,099 lots
* Year to date — this fiscal year isn't complete, so it's not compared against prior years in the target/trend status above.
View as table
| Fiscal year | Actual | Target |
|---|---|---|
| FY22 | 1,652 lots | 3,200 lots |
| FY23 | 1,440 lots | 3,200 lots |
| FY24 | 534 lots | 3,200 lots |
| FY25 | 101 lots | 3,200 lots |
| FY26 (YTD) | Not available | 3,200 lots |
The steady decline in vacant lots cleaned is mostly a resourcing story: DSNY's own reporting attributes the FY22-to-FY23 dip partly to its new Targeted Neighborhood Taskforce providing more regular upkeep of these properties (shifting some work out of this count), and it explicitly attributes the much larger FY24-to-FY25 drop to City budget cuts to the lot-cleaning program.
Researched July 16, 2026 — DSNY, Fiscal 2023 Mayor's Management Report, DSNY, Fiscal 2025 Mayor's Management Report
Why this is tracked
Before the 1890s, New York's streets were littered with horse manure, garbage, and human waste, conditions that contributed to disease and were long tolerated under patronage-driven city government. When Colonel George E. Waring Jr. became Street Cleaning Commissioner in 1894 after a brief ouster of Tammany Hall, he built a disciplined, uniformed cleaning force (the "White Wings") and organized systematic street sweeping and garbage sorting, reforms that reshaped city sanitation practice. Today DSNY continues this mission through routine street and sidewalk cleaning, a dedicated Lot Cleaning Unit for vacant City-owned lots (which prevents them from becoming eyesores or pest habitats), and enforcement against illegal dumping and litter.
George Waring - Colonel, Sanitation & NYC - HISTORY, How to Successfully Reform a Bureaucracy: George Waring & the Department of Street Cleaning, Oversight of Street Cleanliness in NYC - NYC Council Data Team
How many vacant lot cleaning requests are there?
2,711 requestsBeats target by 211 requests
How many vacant lot cleaning requests are there?
2,711 requestsBeats target by 211 requests
* Year to date — this fiscal year isn't complete, so it's not compared against prior years in the target/trend status above.
View as table
| Fiscal year | Actual | Target |
|---|---|---|
| FY22 | 2,941 requests | 2,500 requests |
| FY23 | 2,831 requests | 2,500 requests |
| FY24 | 2,967 requests | 2,500 requests |
| FY25 | 2,711 requests | 2,500 requests |
| FY26 (YTD) | Not available | 2,500 requests |
2,711 requests in FY25 — met the City's own target for this indicator (211 requests above the 2,500 requests target), though it has trended in the wrong direction over the past 3 years of reported data.
Why this is tracked
Before the 1890s, New York's streets were littered with horse manure, garbage, and human waste, conditions that contributed to disease and were long tolerated under patronage-driven city government. When Colonel George E. Waring Jr. became Street Cleaning Commissioner in 1894 after a brief ouster of Tammany Hall, he built a disciplined, uniformed cleaning force (the "White Wings") and organized systematic street sweeping and garbage sorting, reforms that reshaped city sanitation practice. Today DSNY continues this mission through routine street and sidewalk cleaning, a dedicated Lot Cleaning Unit for vacant City-owned lots (which prevents them from becoming eyesores or pest habitats), and enforcement against illegal dumping and litter.
George Waring - Colonel, Sanitation & NYC - HISTORY, How to Successfully Reform a Bureaucracy: George Waring & the Department of Street Cleaning, Oversight of Street Cleanliness in NYC - NYC Council Data Team
How many DSNY-collected recycled tons are there?
669.3 tonsMisses target by 179.3 tons
How many DSNY-collected recycled tons are there?
669.3 tonsMisses target by 179.3 tons
* Year to date — this fiscal year isn't complete, so it's not compared against prior years in the target/trend status above.
View as table
| Fiscal year | Actual | Target |
|---|---|---|
| FY22 | 616.1 tons | 848.6 tons |
| FY23 | 619.2 tons | 848.6 tons |
| FY24 | 638.9 tons | 848.6 tons |
| FY25 | 669.3 tons | 848.6 tons |
| FY26 (YTD) | Not available | 848.6 tons |
669.3 tons in FY25 — missed the City's own target for this indicator (179.3 tons below the 848.6 tons target), though it has trended toward improvement over the past 3 years of reported data.
Why this is tracked
New York City Council enacted Local Law 19 of 1989, the city's first mandatory recycling law, after roughly two years of negotiation among councilmembers, the Koch administration, and environmental advocates, setting an initial 25% recycling target for the mid-1990s. The law followed a smaller 1986 pilot program collecting newspapers, and it aimed to reduce dependence on Fresh Kills landfill, which was already straining under the volume of the city's waste. When Fresh Kills, then the world's largest landfill, closed in 2001 under a 1996 state law and community pressure, New York lost its last in-city disposal option and now exports nearly all residential garbage out of state, making recycling and other diversion programs central to controlling the city's waste footprint and cost.
New York City's History-Making Recycling Law Turns 25 - NRDC, Fresh Kills Landfill - Wikipedia
Without a numeric target
How many recycling summonses and warnings were issued?
54,871 summonses — increasing across two enforcement waves tied to new recycling and composting rules
How many recycling summonses and warnings were issued?
54,871 summonses — increasing across two enforcement waves tied to new recycling and composting rules
* Year to date — this fiscal year isn't complete, so it's not compared against prior years in the target/trend status above. The dashed marker projects a full-year estimate at the current year-to-date pace.
View as table
| Fiscal year | Actual |
|---|---|
| FY22 | 32,015 summonses |
| FY23 | 47,267 summonses |
| FY24 | 51,848 summonses |
| FY25 | 95,947 summonses |
| FY26 (YTD) | 54,871 summonses |
| FY26 (projected) | ~73,161 summonses |
Recycling summonses roughly tripled from FY22 to FY25 in two enforcement waves: new set-out and recycling rules drove a 48% jump in FY23, and then the citywide expansion of mandatory curbside composting in November 2024 brought a fresh round of enforcement, pushing summonses and warnings up another 85% in FY25. Local reporting has since described composting-related tickets reaching record daily highs as DSNY ramped up enforcement.
Researched July 16, 2026 — DSNY, Fiscal 2023 Mayor's Management Report, DSNY, Fiscal 2025 Mayor's Management Report, Gothamist, "Composting in NYC is still low. Tickets for neglecting it are at an all-time high."
Why this is tracked
New York City Council enacted Local Law 19 of 1989, the city's first mandatory recycling law, after roughly two years of negotiation among councilmembers, the Koch administration, and environmental advocates, setting an initial 25% recycling target for the mid-1990s. The law followed a smaller 1986 pilot program collecting newspapers, and it aimed to reduce dependence on Fresh Kills landfill, which was already straining under the volume of the city's waste. When Fresh Kills, then the world's largest landfill, closed in 2001 under a 1996 state law and community pressure, New York lost its last in-city disposal option and now exports nearly all residential garbage out of state, making recycling and other diversion programs central to controlling the city's waste footprint and cost.
New York City's History-Making Recycling Law Turns 25 - NRDC, Fresh Kills Landfill - Wikipedia
How many snow activation events are there?
13 events — decreasing, though this simply tracks how many storms hit each year
How many snow activation events are there?
13 events — decreasing, though this simply tracks how many storms hit each year
* Year to date — this fiscal year isn't complete, so it's not compared against prior years in the target/trend status above.
View as table
| Fiscal year | Actual |
|---|---|
| FY22 | 17 events |
| FY23 | 11 events |
| FY24 | 6 events |
| FY25 | 13 events |
| FY26 (YTD) | Not available |
This indicator counts how many times DSNY activated its winter storm response, which tracks how many storms actually hit the City each year — DSNY's own reporting explicitly ties the swings to winter weather, not agency readiness (for example, FY23 had an unusually mild winter with far fewer storms, while FY22 and FY25 saw more snow events). It's a weather-driven number that is expected to bounce around year to year.
Researched July 16, 2026 — DSNY, Fiscal 2023 Mayor's Management Report, DSNY, Fiscal 2024 Mayor's Management Report, DSNY, Fiscal 2025 Mayor's Management Report
Why this is tracked
The Great Blizzard of 1888 dropped around 21 inches of snow on New York City over three days and contributed to roughly 400 deaths in the city, with no snowplows available to clear it; workers organized into an "Army of the Shovel" to dig the city out by hand. The disaster exposed how unprepared the city's street-cleaning apparatus was for a major storm, and spurred the more organized, systematic approach to street and snow response that Colonel George Waring built when he took over the Department of Street Cleaning a few years later. Today's snow response, run by DSNY, exists to keep streets passable for emergency vehicles, commerce, and daily life, and failures in that response can still be dangerous and disruptive.
The origin of snow removal for all New Yorkers, rich and poor - Bowery Boys, Virtual New York City: The Blizzard of 1888
How many tons of organics were diverted?
16,350,000 organics — increasing as citywide curbside composting rolled out borough by borough
How many tons of organics were diverted?
16,350,000 organics — increasing as citywide curbside composting rolled out borough by borough
* Year to date — this fiscal year isn't complete, so it's not compared against prior years in the target/trend status above.
View as table
| Fiscal year | Actual |
|---|---|
| FY22 | 7,740,000 organics |
| FY23 | 10,560,000 organics |
| FY24 | 12,960,000 organics |
| FY25 | 16,350,000 organics |
| FY26 (YTD) | Not available |
Organics diversion has climbed steadily as DSNY rolled out mandatory curbside composting borough by borough — starting in Queens in fall 2022, expanding to Brooklyn in fall 2023, and reaching every borough citywide by October 2024. City officials and local reporting both describe this as the largest curbside composting program in the country, and DSNY's own numbers show diverted tonnage roughly doubling as each phase of the rollout took effect.
Researched July 16, 2026 — DSNY, Fiscal 2025 Mayor's Management Report, NYC Mayor's Office, "Mayor Adams Announces Completion of Roll-out of First-Ever No-Cost, Pain-Free Citywide Curbside Composting Program", Inside Climate News, "Curbside 'Composting' Is Finally Citywide in New York. Or Is It?"
Why this is tracked
DSNY's push for curbside organics collection began with leaf composting in 1990 and a Park Slope pilot in 1992, but early efforts were repeatedly scaled back over cost concerns. The 2013 City Council law, Local Law 77, mandated a real pilot program, which expanded gradually through the 2010s, was suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic due to funding cuts, and finally became a citywide curbside "brown bin" program by late 2024, reaching Manhattan, Staten Island, and the Bronx after earlier phases in Brooklyn and Queens. Diverting organic waste from landfills reduces the methane those landfills generate and shrinks the volume of waste New York must collect, process, and export out of state.
Curbside 'Composting' Is Finally Citywide in New York - Inside Climate News, 10 Facts You Should Know About NYC's Composting Efforts
How many needles were removed?
20,955 needles — increasing, largely reflecting incidental discovery during routine cleanups
How many needles were removed?
20,955 needles — increasing, largely reflecting incidental discovery during routine cleanups
* Year to date — this fiscal year isn't complete, so it's not compared against prior years in the target/trend status above. The dashed marker projects a full-year estimate at the current year-to-date pace.
View as table
| Fiscal year | Actual |
|---|---|
| FY22 | 69,692 needles |
| FY23 | 90,861 needles |
| FY24 | 83,807 needles |
| FY25 | 126,247 needles |
| FY26 (YTD) | 20,955 needles |
| FY26 (projected) | ~27,940 needles |
The number of needles DSNY collects mostly reflects how many happen to turn up during routine street and lot cleanups, so it moves up and down with incidental discovery rather than a change in policy. DSNY's own reporting attributes the sharp FY26 drop (down 71% in the year's first four months) directly to fewer needles being found during cleanings, not to any pullback in outreach or cleaning effort.
Researched July 16, 2026 — DSNY, Preliminary Fiscal 2026 Mayor's Management Report
Why this is tracked
Before the 1890s, New York's streets were littered with horse manure, garbage, and human waste, conditions that contributed to disease and were long tolerated under patronage-driven city government. When Colonel George E. Waring Jr. became Street Cleaning Commissioner in 1894 after a brief ouster of Tammany Hall, he built a disciplined, uniformed cleaning force (the "White Wings") and organized systematic street sweeping and garbage sorting, reforms that reshaped city sanitation practice. Today DSNY continues this mission through routine street and sidewalk cleaning, a dedicated Lot Cleaning Unit for vacant City-owned lots (which prevents them from becoming eyesores or pest habitats), and enforcement against illegal dumping and litter.
George Waring - Colonel, Sanitation & NYC - HISTORY, How to Successfully Reform a Bureaucracy: George Waring & the Department of Street Cleaning, Oversight of Street Cleanliness in NYC - NYC Council Data Team
How many cleanliness violations were issued?
950,598 violations — increasing, partly because DSNY broadened what counts as a violation
How many cleanliness violations were issued?
950,598 violations — increasing, partly because DSNY broadened what counts as a violation
* Year to date — this fiscal year isn't complete, so it's not compared against prior years in the target/trend status above.
View as table
| Fiscal year | Actual |
|---|---|
| FY22 | 597,630 violations |
| FY23 | 917,627 violations |
| FY24 | 992,192 violations |
| FY25 | 950,598 violations |
| FY26 (YTD) | Not available |
Part of this indicator's rise reflects a definitional change: DSNY expanded the list of violation codes counted as "cleanliness violations" starting in the Fiscal 2024 report (applied retroactively to prior years), which broadened what gets counted. The increase also coincides with DSNY's stated refocus on core cleanliness enforcement beginning in Fiscal 2023 and, in later years, with new containerization set-out rules that added additional violation categories to enforce.
Researched July 16, 2026 — DSNY, Fiscal 2023 Mayor's Management Report, DSNY, Fiscal 2024 Mayor's Management Report
Why this is tracked
Before the 1890s, New York's streets were littered with horse manure, garbage, and human waste, conditions that contributed to disease and were long tolerated under patronage-driven city government. When Colonel George E. Waring Jr. became Street Cleaning Commissioner in 1894 after a brief ouster of Tammany Hall, he built a disciplined, uniformed cleaning force (the "White Wings") and organized systematic street sweeping and garbage sorting, reforms that reshaped city sanitation practice. Today DSNY continues this mission through routine street and sidewalk cleaning, a dedicated Lot Cleaning Unit for vacant City-owned lots (which prevents them from becoming eyesores or pest habitats), and enforcement against illegal dumping and litter.
George Waring - Colonel, Sanitation & NYC - HISTORY, How to Successfully Reform a Bureaucracy: George Waring & the Department of Street Cleaning, Oversight of Street Cleanliness in NYC - NYC Council Data Team