Business Groups Sign Letter Urging DSNY to Withdraw Plans for Commercial Waste Zones

Nine business groups, including the Real Estate Board of New York, REBNY, the National Restaurant Association and the National Supermarket Association, have signed a letter urging New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and the New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) to withdraw their plans for a commercial waste zoning system.

Instead of moving forward with plans to divide the city up into zones dedicated to specific haulers, the business groups are pushing for a business-friendly New York City Council bill. The bill would ultimately block commercial waste zones from being formed while focusing on improving worker safety, carbon emissions and other common issues.

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Major business interests in New York City have written a letter urging New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Department of Sanitation to withdraw its plans for a zoned commercial waste pickup system.

For a year and a half, the Sanitation Department has been hosting regular meetings with its Commercial Waste Zones Advisory Board, developing a plan that would divide the city into zones and allow only certain commercial waste haulers to operate in each area.

Currently, companies that pick up trash from New York City businesses can operate anywhere, which businesses prefer for the ability to choose among multiple options, with the competition arguably keeping prices low. But the system results in trucks driving circuitous routes that critics and labor advocates say lead to dangerous driving and fatigued workers.

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