The department's motto. "New York's Strongest", was coined by Harry Nespoli, long-time President of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 831, to describe the Department of Sanitation's football team in the late 1970s to early 1980s.[3] The section of Worth Street between Centre and Baxter Streets in Manhattan is named "Avenue of the Strongest" in their honor.
History
Prior to 1881, a Street Cleaning Bureau functioned under the New York City Police Department. However, streets were filthy, filled with mud, rubbish, ash, and horse urine and manure. On May 29, 1881, all the bureau's books and papers were transferred from the police headquarters in anticipation of the passage of a law creating a new administrative structure and the separate Department of Street Cleaning.[4] On May 30, the bill enacting the Department of Street Cleaning was signed by Governor of New York Alonzo B. Cornell. However, Henry H. Gorringe, who had been asked to serve as the inaugural commissioner by Mayor William R. Grace, had been hoping for a different bill and declined the position, stating that it was a "delusion and snare from beginning to end", and that he would have had to answer to "five different areas of city government – the Mayoralty, the Board of Estimate and Apportionment, the Board of Health, the Police Board, and the Department of Street Cleaning," with the latter having the least effective power.[5] Instead, several days later, James S. Coleman became the first commissioner, and held the position for eight years.[6][7][8]
In 1894, Col. George E. Waring, Jr. became commissioner, and he was credited with substantially cleaning the streets, as well as pioneering recycling, street sweeping, and the establishment of a uniformed cleaning and collection force.[9] The department's name was changed to the Department of Sanitation in 1929.[10]
1980: New York City won the right to staff sanitation trucks with a crew of two, instead of three.[11]
1986: New York City hired two female sanitation workers. Initially they did only street-sweeping. Going with sanitation trucks began the following year.[12]
2003: Mayor Michael Bloomberg laid off 515 sanitation workers while seeking to "increase the length of runs by sanitation trucks – more trash per truck would lower costs"[13][14]
2009: New York City introduced use of hybrid-electric sanitation-pickup vehicles.[15] Like those then in use, staff crew were numbered at two, not three as had been the case until 1980.
In 2015, the department had more than 9,700 employees, handled more than 3.2 million tons of refuse every year, and recycled more than 600,000 tons of waste material annually.[16] Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia resigned in September 2020 to consider running for mayor of New York City, and criticized what she termed the "unconscionable" $100 million budget cuts of Mayor Bill DiBlasio in her resignation letter.[17][18][19][20][21] Those budget cuts, among other things, forced a 60% reduction in pickups from public trash baskets.[22][23]
Strikes
1968: Sanitation workers had been without a contract for six months when they rejected Mayor John Lindsay's proposal and went on strike on February 2. 7,000 sanitation workers marched to City Hall Park to demand higher pay and increased benefits.[24] President John DeLury of the Uniformed Sanitationmen's Association is quoted saying, "No contract, no work!" to the crowd.[25] Mayor Lindsay referred to the strike as illegal,[26][27] because it was in violation of the Taylor Law, which passed that previous year. As the garbage on the streets of New York City accumulated to over 100,000 tons, negotiations between Lindsay and union leaders went poorly. Finally, on February 10, New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller stepped in, offering a $425 wage increase, double-time pay for working on Sundays, and a 2.5 percent increase in pension funds,[24] which the workers agreed to and ended the strike.[28]
1975: A wildcat strike took place in 1975 from July 2 to 4 in the midst of a budget crisis for New York City before workers returned to work under the provision that they would put up their own money to guarantee payroll if the city legislation could not get the tax increase necessary.[29]
1981: Workers went on strike just after midnight on December 1 to demand a wage increase and remained out until December 17.[30]
Role in 9/11 rescue and recovery efforts
After the September 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, approximately 3,700 sanitation employees were involved in clean-up, debris removal and processing at ground zero and the Fresh Kills landfill, as well as other sites in the city. Fifteen hundred employees were deployed in the first 24 hours, as well as over 150 pieces of heavy machinery. They worked at ground zero for 39 weeks and processed up to 17,500 tons of material a day at the Fresh Kills landfill. This, in coordination with other departments and agencies, allowed for the identification of over 300 victims.[31]
To commemorate the 20th anniversary of 9/11, the Sanitation Foundation launched an online exhibition detailing "the incredible— and largely unknown— story of the vital role that the New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) played in the rescue and recovery efforts following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001".[32]
The New York City Department of Sanitation is the largest sanitation department in the world, with 7,201 uniformed sanitation workers and supervisors, 2,041 civilian workers, 2,230 general collection trucks, 275 specialized collection trucks, 450 street sweepers, 365 snowplows, 298 front end loaders, and 2,360 support vehicles. It handles over 12,000 tons of residential and institutional refuse and recyclables a day.[33] It has a uniformed force of unionizedsanitation workers (Local 831 USA of the Teamsters). Its regulations are compiled in Title 16 of the New York City Rules.
There are nine uniformed titles in the New York City Department of Sanitation. From highest to lowest, the uniformed titles are described by Civil Service Title and/or Rank;[clarification needed]
Title
Insignia
General Superintendent Level V (Director)
General Superintendent Level IV (Chief)
General Superintendent Level III (Assistant Chief)
General Superintendent Level II (Deputy Chief)
General Superintendent Level I (Superintendent)
Supervisor
Sanitation Worker
Bureau of Cleaning and Collection
The Bureau of Cleaning and Collection is responsible for collecting recycling and garbage, cleaning streets and vacant lots, and clearing streets of snow and ice. BCC assigns personnel and equipment to standard routes while managing the weekly allocation of personnel to address litter and illegal dumping.
The Cleaning Office oversees the removal of litter and debris from city streets, collects material for recycling and garbage from public litter bins and coordinates with Derelict Vehicle Operations to remove abandoned vehicles. The Lot Cleaning Unit cleans vacant lots and the areas around them, and around city-owned buildings in order to meet the city's Health Code standards.
The Collection Office oversees regularly scheduled recycling and garbage collection services to the city's residential households, public schools, public buildings, and many large institutions
Solid Waste Management
The Solid Waste Management Bureau is responsible for the disposal of all municipal solid waste and recyclables managed by DSNY, and for long-term waste export programs. The bureau consists of Solid Waste Management Engineering, the Export Contract Management Unit, marine and land-based transfer stations, and the Fresh Kills landfill and long-term export programs.
Solid Waste Management Engineering is principally responsible for the design, construction, closure and post-closure care, and end-use development of the 2,200-acre Fresh Kills landfill. It also develops and implements long-term waste export programs and the city's Comprehensive Solid Waste Management Plan for 2006–2025 and the Solid Waste Management Plan Final Environmental Impact Statement.
Bureau of Information Technology
The Bureau of Information Technology manages all aspects of computing and technology for DSNY, including networks, databases, software, devices, and technical support.
The bureau designed the Sanitation Management Analysis and Resource Tracking (SMART) system, a web-based mobile system that provides DSNY field forces with digital operations, scheduling, and reporting technology, and gives DSNY management instant access to real-time operational information. It is integrated with citywide systems such as GIS mapping services, fleet management, building management, human resources, and purchasing and financial applications.
Bureau Operations Office
The Bureau Operations Office is DSNY's primary communications center, handling interagency and intra-agency communications. To ensure efficient communications, the radio room maintains and monitors citywide radio communications, equipment repair, upgrades, maintenance, and inventory.
The Bureau oversees all DSNY facilities, administers the expense budget, and controls fuel and lubricant inventories, as well as tools and supplies for citywide use. It also plans and directs citywide snow operations, including staffing plans, maintaining the fleet of snow removal equipment, and maintaining an inventory of salt and calcium chloride to cover the needs of the snow season.
The Bureau's Equipment and Facilities Unit works closely with Support Services to make sure that DSNY facilities receive constant monitoring, repairs, renovation, and emergency intervention. The Bureau works closely with the Real Estate Division to properly plan for new facilities from an operational standpoint.
Operations Management Division
The Operations Management Division provides statistical review and analysis for evaluating DSNY's managerial and operational performance, including, most recently, a comprehensive review and sweeping redevelopment of the methodology used for citywide snow clearing operations. The division provides performance results to executive staff, field managers, and the public, to provide insight into organizational performance and help evaluate future initiatives. It also develops all departmental forms and provides reprographic services for the agency.
DSNY's Enterprise Geospatial Program Management Office, established in 2014, adds additional rigor to Operations Management functions by enabling and promoting purposeful geospatial data consumption and analysis throughout the agency, as well as the innovative technologies that make them possible. Its core objectives are to:
Develop and maintain centralized and authoritative geospatial data stores and guarantee their integrity, accuracy and security
Make geospatial data widely available and accessible across the agency via delivery through a combination of cutting-edge web applications and database technologies
Provide leadership to align geospatial strategic planning, data standards and policies, tactical implementation and operational capability in accordance with DSNY's performance goals
Personnel Management Division
The Personnel Management Division coordinates with Human Resources on employee-related personal actions, such as the hiring process of new sanitation workers, promotions, demotions, employee evaluations, disciplinary matters, separation of service, and employee hardships. It also monitors the electronic disciplinary system for accuracy, and acts as the liaison between the Department Advocate and the field operations of the Bureau of Cleaning and Collection and the Solid Waste Management Unit. The division allocates general superintendents, supervisors, civilians, and sanitation workers assigned to medical-duty to support daily Cleaning and Collection field operations.
Division of Safety and Training
The Division of Safety and Training is responsible for all administrative and operational training to ensure that DSNY employees have the knowledge and skills to perform their jobs safely and effectively in a hazard-free work place. It also has the jurisdiction to enforce federal, state, city, and departmental laws, rules, and regulations pertaining to safe motor vehicle operation and work procedures, building maintenance, and driver's license requirements.
Responsibilities include developing and maintaining programs and training, investigating serious line-of-duty injuries and vehicular accidents, conducting orientation programs for new and recently promoted uniformed employees, and facilitating department-wide walk-throughs for workplace violence surveys and facility E-waste, standpipe, and sprinkler inspections.
Bureau of Motor Equipment
The Bureau of Motor Equipment provides a full range of fleet-related functions, such as design, research and development, procurement, maintenance, repair, and ultimately disposal of DSNY vehicles. All of these functions are performed through four main operating divisions — Field Operations, Material Management, Vehicle Acquisition and Warranty Division, and Central Repair Shop Operations.
Bureau of Building Maintenance
The Bureau of Building Maintenance has responsibility for maintaining garages, transfer stations, repair shops, and office buildings throughout the five boroughs. The bureau employs carpenters, plumbers, electricians and other skilled trades who provide routine maintenance, facility rehabilitation, and emergency repairs. Together with Legal Affairs and Engineering, the Bureau of Building Maintenance ensures that DSNY facilities are in compliance with all federal, state, and local oversight regulations. The Bureau also works with the Department of Citywide Administrative Services to secure funding for energy reduction programs and to achieve carbon dioxide emission goals.
Law Enforcement Division
The Enforcement Division monitors compliance with administrative, recycling, and health laws governing the maintenance of clean streets, illegal posting and dumping, theft of recyclables, and proper storage and disposal of recycling and garbage by residents and businesses. It reports through the First Deputy Commissioner.[34]
Sanitation law enforcement officers (Police Division) are licensed and armed New York City Special Patrolman[35] in connection with their special duties of employment. Such designation confers limited New York State Peace Officer powers upon the employee, pursuant to New York State Criminal Procedure Law § 2.10 sub(59).[36] and have limited powers of arrests in conjunction to their specialized functions. Sanitation enforcement agents are unarmed civilians who undergo a comprehensive classroom and field-training program.
The Enforcement Division's Canine Unit patrols throughout the city and issue notices of violation for quality-of-life violations, such as unleashed dogs, littering, and failure to remove canine waste and noxious liquids.
DSNY Police badge
New York City Sanitation Police car
DSNY Environmental Police patch
Environmental Enforcement and the Permit Inspection Unit
The primary responsibility of the Permit Inspection Unit is the enforcement of Local Law 40, governing the permit and inspection processes of solid waste transfer stations and fill material operations within the city. Environmental police officers conduct regular inspections to ensure compliance with the rules and regulations relating to these activities.
The Permit Inspection Unit issues permits and conducts regular inspections of putrescible and non-putrescible transfer stations, fill material transfer stations, and fill material operations that involve the grading, leveling, or improvement of property. It also plays a main role in identifying and closing illegal transfer stations and dump sites, and works closely with DSNY Legal Affairs and various city, state, and federal agencies.
The Environmental Enforcement Unit enforces Local Laws 70 and 75, governing the storage, transportation, and disposal of asbestos and regulated medical waste. Environmental enforcement unit respond to incidents involving the improper disposal of chemicals, household hazardous waste, low-level radioactive waste, and medical waste. The unit also conducts inspections of hospitals and nursing homes to ensure proper disposal of regulated medical waste, and inspects medical practices operating in multi-dwelling buildings to ensure compliance with Local Law 41.
Legal Affairs
The Bureau of Legal Affairs is DSNY's in-house legal department which has various divisions, including Contracts, Environmental Affairs, Intergovernmental, the Advocate's Office and the Agency Chief Contracting Office. These divisions provide legal counsel, advice, and assistance to the other bureaus in connection with procuring and managing contracts, drafting and enforcing statutes and regulations, regulating solid waste transfer stations, and working with other government departments and agencies.
The Bureau serves as DSNY's liaison with the City Council and State Legislature, manages DSNY's City Environmental Quality Review processes, coordinates DSNY's responses to Freedom of Information Law requests for documents, and provides litigation support to the City's Law Department in connection with lawsuits involving DSNY. The Bureau provides legal counsel on employment and personnel matters, is DSNY's advisor on the legal aspects of environmental compliance efforts, and works closely with DSNY engineers to resolve controversies, allow construction projects to continue, and avoid disputes and litigation.
Since 1977, Mierle Laderman Ukeles has been the Artist in Residence (unsalaried) of the New York City Department of Sanitation.[126] She is the only artist to ever hold that position.[127]
In her work Touch Sanitation (1979-80), taking almost a year, Ukeles met over 8500 employees of the New York Sanitation Department, shaking hands with each of them and saying, “Thank you for keeping New York City alive”.[128] She documented her activities on a map, recording her conversations with the workers. Ukeles documented the workers' private stories in an attempt to change some of the negative words used about them.[129]
Gallery
"White Wings" sanitation workers, 1914
125 Worth Street, the department's headquarters
Sanitation workers picking up garbage on 172nd Street in 1973
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References
↑ New York City Charter Chapter 31, § 751; "There shall be a department of sanitation the head of which shall be the commissioner of sanitation."
↑ "Garbage Gridlock". City Journal. December 23, 2015. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
↑ "Bring back the sanitation workers! Let's not return to the 1970s (photo of Lindsay era, sanitation blocking streets)". Uniformed Santitationmen's Association. May 21, 2003. p.25 (NYpost).
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