City Rolls Out Empire Bins in Brooklyn

Brooklyn Community District 2 receives its first on-street residential trash containers as the city expands its containerization program.

Updated on Nov. 10, 2026 in Civic Engagement

A stationary steel trash container stands at the curb of a tree-lined Brooklyn street lined with brick rowhouse stoops under soft overcast light. — New York City has begun rolling out Empire Bins, its first on-street residential trash containers, starting in Brooklyn Community District 2 with 700 planned units. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Brooklyn Community District 2 has received its first residential on-street trash containers, known as Empire Bins, with 700 stationary units planned for the district. The rollout follows a West Harlem pilot, and full containerization in the district is targeted for completion by the end of fall 2026.

Why it matters

The program aims to end piles of black garbage bags on sidewalks and reduce rat activity, and Mayor Zohran Mamdani's plan extends containerization to six more community districts by the end of 2027. For New York City residents, the change would alter both curbside trash habits and on-street parking availability.

Each Empire Bin holds about 794 gallons of waste and is collected three times a week by automated side-loading trucks. Buildings with more than 30 units will receive one, and about 768 of Brooklyn District 2's 23,795 on-street parking spaces could be replaced.

The players

Zohran Mamdani

Mayor of New York City, who announced the plan to expand the Empire Bin containerization program to additional community districts.

Empire Bins

The stationary on-street trash containers being installed across New York City neighborhoods under the city's containerization program.

The details

Property managers and building staff will access the containers with a key card or a new mobile app. Automated side-loading garbage trucks service the bins, using technology developed with designers in Italy, Hicksville, and Brooklyn.

June 2025: West Harlem became the first neighborhood in North America to containerize its trash.
April 2026: Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced the plan to expand the program to six community districts.
End of fall 2026: Full containerization is targeted in Brooklyn Community District 2.
End of 2027: The city plans 6,500 bins across six more community districts.

Civic Pilot Expansion

The Brooklyn rollout extends the West Harlem containerization pilot launched in June 2025, which became the first such program in North America. The expansion would bring 6,500 bins to six more community districts by the end of 2027.

Residents in affected buildings will need to adjust to a new trash system and may see fewer curbside parking spaces. Building managers and staff will use key cards or a mobile app to access the bins.

The takeaway

Brooklyn residents should expect the transition from curbside bags to on-street bins to change how trash is stored and collected, with West Harlem's early results offering an early indication of the program's effect on rodent activity.

What happens next

Full containerization in Brooklyn Community District 2 is targeted for completion by the end of fall 2026, and the city's expansion to six more districts is slated to run through the end of 2027.