New Citywide System to Replace Decades of Fragmented Carting with Regulated, Sustainable Collection
Transforming New York’s Commercial Waste Collection
For over a century, New York City’s commercial waste system operated as a fragmented network of private carters, creating a patchwork of service gaps, environmental violations, and labor abuses. A fundamental restructuring is underway. New York City’s 2026 Solid Waste Management Plan (SWMP26) aims to chart a path for the reduction, recovery, and responsible management of New York City’s waste for the next decade, representing the most significant overhaul in sanitation policy in decades.
Understanding the Commercial Waste Zones System
The reform centers on the Commercial Waste Zones (CWZ) program, which divides the city into 20 geographic zones managed by authorized carters. The first commercial waste zone rollout was fully implemented in January 2025 in the Queens Central zone, encompassing neighborhoods such as Corona, Elmhurst, and Jackson Heights. Program rollout in Bronx East and Bronx West zones has been fully implemented as of November 2025. The remaining zones will complete rollout by December 2027.
Safety and Environmental Standards Embedded in Policy
The transformation carries profound implications for worker safety and environmental protection. Carting companies that operate in these zones are expected to meet strict safety and sustainability standards. This represents a departure from decades when private carters operated with minimal oversight. As of March 14, 2025, DSNY has issued approximately 193 violations since the zone’s implementation, indicating both rigorous enforcement and that compliance remains uneven.
Rate Caps and Price Protections
A critical component of the reform addresses historical pricing opacity. NYC’s Commercial Waste Zone bill introduces a rate cap system, ensuring that businesses are charged a fair and maximum price for services, protecting them from price gouging and other opaque pricing systems. For small businesses long victimized by uncontrolled waste service costs, this protection represents meaningful economic relief.
The Broader Environmental Goal
Beyond commercial waste collection, SWMP26 includes eight programs: Waste Prevention and Reuse, Organics Diversion and Recovery, Residential Recycling, Residential Municipal Solid Waste, Commercial Waste, Construction and Demolition Waste, Special Waste, and Education and Outreach. The goal of SWMP26 is to chart a path for the reduction, recovery, and responsible management of New York City’s waste for the next decade.
Implementation Challenges and Business Adaptation
The transition hasn’t been seamless. Advocates and elected officials have raised concerns about the design of the RFP process, delays in DSNY’s implementation of the CWZ program, and the chosen carters’ records of safety, labor, and environmental violations. Some business owners report confusion about transition requirements and service modifications.
A Model for Urban Environmental Justice
The waste zones represent more than administrative reorganization. They embody a principle that environmental quality and equitable service should be rights, not market luxuries. By establishing uniform standards across neighborhoods and price protections for businesses of all sizes, the policy challenges decades of waste management inequality. Whether implementation meets this vision remains the defining question for the system’s future.
