![]() Through most of its history until the mid-1900s, New York’s primary method for disposing of its waste was simply to dump it into the ocean. As described in a 1657 ordinance, when New York was still called New Amsterdam, “… many burghers and inhabitants throw their rubbish, filth, ashes, dead animals and suchlike things into the public streets to the great inconvenience of the community.” A snapshot from two centuries later depicts a city overrun with horse manure, posing a health hazard for residents. ![]() Waste management problems are nothing new for New York. A brief history of New York’s waste management To deal with these challenges, the city relies on a complex waste-management ecosystem encompassing two city agencies, three modes of transport (trucks, trains and barges), 1,668 city collection trucks, an additional 248 private waste hauling companies, and a diverse network of temporary and permanent facilities extending halfway around the world. ![]() And New York is located smack in the centre of the Northeast megalopolis, a giant urban expanse where available land for disposing of garbage is in short supply. Not only that, New York is also America’s densest city: its narrow, traffic jam med streets make collecting all that garbage a logistical Gordian knot.
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