Share:
The scene is almost identical, regardless of which borough you're in within New York City. Narrow sidewalks lined with garbage bags and other large items await collection by sanitation crews and trucks. Large rodents find shelter in makeshift plastic homes, scavenging discarded scraps—an all-too-familiar sight for New Yorkers. The city that never sleeps has a bigger problem than its flashing lights and noisy streets: it's the trash left on the sidewalks.
In a city of over 8.5 million residents, sidewalk trash has become a collective issue. Why has New York City ended up this way? Urban designers, politicians, and city workers agree that the city's methods for waste generation, sorting, transportation, and recycling (over 12,000 tons daily) have become outdated and inefficient. Other parts of the world, including major cities in France, South Korea, and the Netherlands, use street-level sorting bins and containers to keep public spaces clean and improve waste collection efficiency. Paris, with a population density similar to Manhattan, quickly introduced large bins for recyclable items on the streets. After piloting 40 units, the city found the program successful and subsequently ordered thousands more to expand the initiative citywide, aiming for a more significant impact. New York City needs to take similar large-scale actions.
However, not all aspects are failures, as some communities and neighborhoods have succeeded in managing waste. Roosevelt Island in New York City has used pneumatic tubes and compactors to store and transport waste for the past 50 years. The small Battery Park City neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, overseen by a state agency, also employs compactors to keep streets trash-free.
More than two years after its announcement, the "Clean Curbs" initiative is now being rolled out, with small-scale pilot programs being introduced citywide, starting with one of the city's busiest areas, Times Square. Additionally, just earlier this week, the city announced a new policy aimed at reducing trash output by limiting the time residents can put out garbage at night. Currently, trash can be put out as early as 4 p.m., but the new policy proposes no trash to be set out until 8 p.m., after most people have returned home. However, those with access to sealed containers can still put out trash at 6 p.m. This policy comes in response to a rise in street trash complaints, which increased to nearly 18,000 from 13,000 in the first six months of 2022.
Follow us for more Green ideas.
Build Green. Build with ARDOR Green.
#ARDORSeeds. #Architecture. #Green. #Interior. #Landscape. #Lighting.
Latest news
23/12/2025
Re-shaping the Construction Industry: When Emissions, Technology, and Data Become the New Market Standards
In recent years, green finance has often been cited as the key that enables Vietnamese enterprises to access international markets. However, the broader picture of the construction industry reveals a far deeper transformation: the world is not merely changing how capital is allocated, but is fundamentally restructuring the entire industry toward low emissions, advanced technology, and data transparency.
23/12/2025
ARDOR Green Named the Only Green Design Consultancy Among Vietnam’s Sustainability Leaders
At the Vietnam Sustainable Construction Forum (VSCF) 2025, a national-level event welcoming more than 500 delegates from government agencies, businesses, industry experts, and international organizations, ARDOR Green was honored as the only design consultancy among 17 pioneering enterprises recognized for sustainable development in Vietnam’s construction industry.
17/12/2025
Low-Cost Pathways to LEED Certification: A Practical Guide
This guide outlines LEED credits and prerequisites that can be achieved with little to no major material or construction cost. These strategies focus on early planning, documentation, process alignment, and smart site selection, making them especially suitable for projects seeking cost-effective sustainability outcomes.
16/12/2025
Vietnam’s Government Policy: Reshaping the Future of the Construction Industry
The Vietnamese government is accelerating policy reforms that are poised to transform the construction industry over the next decade, balancing ambitious growth with environmental sustainability and regulatory rigor.
09/12/2025
“Green” Imprints 2026: Trends, Evidence, and Lessons from Southeast Asia
Hanoi / Ho Chi Minh City, 2026 — The year 2026 marks another decisive phase of transformation in Vietnam’s real estate market: “green” is no longer a marketing slogan but is becoming a criterion for financial risk assessment, capital access conditions, and project operation standards.
09/12/2025
When Voids Speak: Terrain Vague and the Cities That Resist Total Planning
Every city carries fractures within it — remnants, vacant lots, abandoned structures, and layers of surplus infrastructure that fall outside the spotlight of official planning. These are spaces out of sync with urban order, yet they unexpectedly form the city’s “underside,” where seemingly continuous structures begin to rupture.
Ready to start your project ?
Build Green, Build with ARDOR Green
Contact Us
Build Green, Build with ARDOR Green
