Allow Residents to Report Illegal Trash Dumping
In committee as of Jun 15, 2026Under review by an assigned committee.
✦ Plain-Language Summary
This bill lets New Yorkers file complaints when people illegally dump household or business trash in public garbage cans. If the Sanitation Department doesn't act on the complaint within 45 days, residents can take the case to court themselves and keep part of any fines collected.
This bill is in committee — public testimony may be open
Register to testify in-person, virtually, or in writing at council.nyc.gov/testify →
Details
- Introduced
- Apr 16, 2026
- Body
- Committee on Sanitation and Solid Waste Management
- Type
- Introduction
- Status
- Committee
Sponsors (1)
Official Description
This bill would allow individual New Yorkers to file complaints regarding the illegal disposal of trash from homes or commercial venues into public trash cans. Once a complaint is filed with the Department of Sanitation, the Department would have 45 days to either issue a notice of violation itself or deny the complaint as frivolous. If 45 days pass without either of those actions happening, the person who filed the complaint could summon the person accused of illegally disposing of their trash to the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings and prosecute the action personally. A person who filed a complaint would be entitled to 25% of proceeds if the Department of Sanitation prevailed in a hearing at the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings over someone that person complained about, or 50% of the civil penalty if they themselves prosecuted the case and won. Finally, the Department of Sanitation would have to provide best practices on its website for filling out a complaint.