Tracking COVID-19 in New York through Trash

There were big changes to New York’s trash collection during COVID-19 and the statistics suggest that many residents left the city during the pandemic.

Trash and recycling collection in April 2020 dipped and as the pandemic declined in May it rebounded. Workers picked up 283,249 tons of refuse, recycling and organic waste in May, which is up 13 percent from April.

Affluent areas in both Manhattan and Brooklyn saw lower trash collection than this time last year, while a 13 percent increase over last year was in the Bronx Community District 1, which includes Melrose, Mott Haven and Port Morris.

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