City brings 'Empire Bin' trash container program to Brooklyn

There's a new neighbor in Brooklyn Heights. They're pretty big. I don't know what to think quite yet. A little bit of a, a little bit of an eyesore. I really don't mind it. I kind of think they look cute. It's called the Empire Bin, 793-gallon trash container. By the end of the fall, the city will be putting 700 of them across Brooklyn Community District 2. The effects that these containers will have on our city will be nothing short of transformative. They will reduce the number of pests by making it more difficult for rats and roaches to find their next meal. They will improve sidewalk access. Any building with more than 30 residential units is required to have an empire bin. While buildings with between 10 and 30, like 8 Garden Place, have the choice of a bin, which the city pays for, or sticking with the individual containers. You can probably see our trash is in a ridiculous state. According to the city, a pilot program for the bins in Harlem led to a 23% decrease in 311 complaints for rats. An 18% drop in reports of dirty conditions. I'm really hoping that it helps in some way with that and that it reduces the smell more than anything else. The bins are expected to take up about 1.5% of existing parking spots here in Community District 2, but the Department of Sanitation says citywide the number will be a little bit higher, close to 4 or 5% per district. In exchange for that, we are going to have the cleaner and healthier streets that we deserve. It makes sense. Just swap a few cars for... A few trash bins and, you know, we'll see what happens. Plans are for at least one district in each borough to have Empire bins by the end of next year, with the entire city covered by 2031. In Brooklyn Heights, Greg Thompson, News 12.