Stuff You Should Know

NYC Trash: A study in persistence

Tue May 14 2024

Trash IssuesSanitation DepartmentChallenges Faced by Sanitation WorkersWaste DisposalPrivate Trash CollectionHouse Fire

Description

This episode explores the trash issues in New York City, including its history, sanitation department, challenges faced by sanitation workers, waste disposal methods, and private trash collection industry. It also includes a personal story of a house fire caused by an arsonist. The episode highlights the efforts to improve trash collection and sustainability in the city.

Insights

New York City's trash collection

New York City produces about 4.5 million tons of residential trash annually, and the Department of Sanitation (DSNY) is the largest in the country due to handling more trash than other large cities.

Challenges faced by sanitation workers

Sanitation workers in New York face various hazards and dangers in their job, including heavy lifting and health risks. However, they are part of a strong union that offers decent pay and benefits.

Private trash collection industry

The private trash collection industry in New York has a history of corruption and mistreatment of workers. Although efforts have been made to prevent mafia involvement, issues like long work hours and safety concerns persist.

Transition to new trash collection methods

New York City is transitioning from bags to containers for trash collection as part of a larger reform effort. This aims to improve cleanliness and efficiency, with successful pilot studies showing a decrease in rat sightings.

Personal story of a house fire

The episode includes a personal story of a house fire caused by an arsonist, which had a significant impact on the speaker's life.

Summary

Transcript

Trash Issues in New York City

00:01 - 55:11

Grand Canyon University offers an RN to BSN Online Degree Program for nursing students.
Choosing the right travel partner is crucial for a successful trip.
MTV's Challenge Podcast covers the competition in Cape Town, South Africa.
Stuff You Should Know podcast discusses New York City's trash issues and recent efforts to clean up the city.
The new sanitation commissioner, Jessica Tisch, comes from a wealthy family but is dedicated to public service.
New York City has a history of being dirty, with laws dating back to the 1650s banning unsanitary practices.
About twenty percent of Manhattan and the whole metro area is built on land that was created from garbage, construction debris, and dirt.
Ellis Island started as three acres and grew to 28 acres through waste dumping.
Colonel George Waring cleaned up New York in the late 1800s by transforming the Department of Street Cleaning into an efficient operation.
Robin Nagel, an NYU professor, has extensive knowledge about sanitation history in New York City.
Landfills and incinerators were used to handle trash in New York City, with individual incinerators being banned in 1889.
Fresh Kills landfill on Staten Island was shut down in 2001 after accepting waste from the World Trade Center attacks.
New York City's trash collection evolved from using metal cans to putting trash in bags in the early 1970s.
The city lacks alleys for storing trash cans, so residents leave their trash out in bags on sidewalks for sanitation workers to pick up manually.
New York City produces about 4.5 million tons of residential trash annually, equivalent to 12,000 tons per day or 50,526,316 big Macs daily.
The DSNY is the largest sanitation department in the country due to the high volume of trash generated by New Yorkers.
New York City's Department of Sanitation (DSNY) is the largest in the country due to handling more trash than other large cities and collecting from residential buildings two or three times a week.
DSNY operates 59 districts with over 2,000 collection trucks that collectively drive about four and a half million miles per year.
Garbage trucks in New York City can hold up to 12 tons of waste, almost equivalent to the weight of a full-sized American school bus.
Each garbage truck in New York has two sets of steering wheels and pedals for safety purposes.
Besides trash collection, DSNY also handles snow plowing, street sweeping, and graffiti removal in the city.
DSNY deals with abandoned vehicles and bikes left on public property by assessing their value before disposal.
Sanitation workers in New York, known as 'New York's Strongest,' face various hazards and dangers in their job.
The job of sanitation workers involves handling heavy trash bags, compacted rounds of trash, and street corner trash cans that weigh 30 pounds empty.
Sanitation workers can face respiratory issues and health risks due to the nature of their work, with some even getting sick during COVID-19.
Despite the challenges, New York City sanitation workers are part of a strong union that offers decent pay and benefits, with opportunities for career growth and retirement after about 20 years of service.
New York City has shut down its landfills, leading to trash being diverted outside the city for disposal.
Some of the trash is sent to waste to energy plants where it is burned to create steam and energy.
Most of New York's garbage is sent by rail or barge to landfills in states like Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and South Carolina.
Marine transfer stations in New York help manage the transportation of garbage efficiently and with minimal odor.
There is a program called Lost Value Search where people can try to retrieve lost items from the garbage at Marine Transfer Stations.
Private companies in the trash collection industry have a history of corruption, with mafia involvement in the past.
Although crime families were removed from the industry in the 90s, private companies continue to engage in shady practices, now often exploiting workers.
Workers at private trash collection companies are reported to make less money and face worse conditions compared to unionized workers from previous decades.
The Business Integrity Commission oversees private handlers to prevent mafia involvement, but issues like long work hours and safety concerns persist.
Investigative journalism has shed light on the mistreatment of workers in the private trash collection sector, highlighting dangerous working conditions and exploitation.
Private companies in New York used to hire uninsured workers for waste collection, leading to accidents and lack of accountability.
New York passed a law in 2019 to limit the number of waste collection companies per zone, promoting safety and efficiency.
Transitioning from bags to containers for trash collection is part of a larger reform effort in New York City.
Implementing bins for trash collection in New York City involves sacrificing parking spots but aims to improve cleanliness and efficiency.
A successful pilot study in Harlem showed a significant decrease in rat sightings with the new trash collection system.
Composting initiatives are being introduced in New York City to reduce food waste and improve sustainability.

Personal Story

54:48 - 58:22

The speaker recalls a time when their house caught fire, but no one was hurt.
It was later revealed that the firefighter EMT they lived with set the fire intentionally.
The incident caused chaos in the speaker's life, but they have since settled down and are happy with their partner Tegan Torres.
The story ends with a surprising twist about the arsonist being someone close to them.
Listeners are encouraged to share their own stories via email for the podcast.