New York City Spends $1.6 Million on Trash Can Study

Hold onto your wallets, fellow patriots! In a move that’s sure to make fiscal conservatives scratch their heads, New York City has just spent a whopping $1.6 million on a study about… trash cans. Yes, you read that right. The city that never sleeps apparently never tires of finding new ways to spend taxpayer money. But before we write this off as another liberal waste of resources, let’s dive into the details and see if there’s any method to this madness.

NYC’s Ambitious Waste Management Overhaul

New York City has launched what it calls a “trash revolution” aimed at replacing the ubiquitous sidewalk trash bags with official garbage cans. The centerpiece of this initiative is a $1.6 million study conducted by consulting firm McKinsey & Company over a 20-week period. The study’s primary conclusion? Keeping waste inside bins is more effective than placing bags on sidewalks. While this might seem like common sense to most of us, the city apparently needed a multi-million dollar study to confirm it.

The Study’s Findings and Implementation

The McKinsey study involved analyzing waste management systems in other cities and poring over extensive data on trash pickups in New York. Joshua Goodman, a spokesperson for the Department of Sanitation, explained:

“Basically, they analyzed billions of different records of trash pickups and helped determine the appropriate volume breakdowns by block for the entire city.”

As a result of this study, starting November 12, 2024, all small buildings in NYC will be required to use official NYC Bins for garbage collection. These new bins, priced at $46 each, hold 35 gallons and are designed to be compatible with new automatic side-loading trucks that the city plans to invest in.

The Rationale Behind the Revolution

The city’s primary goals with this initiative are to reduce the rat population and clean up NYC streets. Currently, New Yorkers place approximately 44 million pounds of trash on curbs daily, creating a buffet for the city’s infamous rodent residents. The McKinsey report emphasized the importance of “storage of waste in sealed, rodent-proof receptacles rather than in plastic bags”

This approach, according to the study, will help “mechanize waste collection, reduce the visibility of garbage set out in public spaces, and reduce the presence of vermin.”

Public Reaction and Criticism

As one might expect, the study and resulting bin program have sparked mixed reactions, including mockery and criticism on social media. Many New Yorkers and observers nationwide have questioned the necessity of such an expensive study for what seems like a straightforward solution. One social media user quipped:

“If you’re bad at spending money, just remember that NYC paid McKinsey $4 million for a study on whether trash bags should go in trash cans.”

While the city defends its decision, stating that the study provided crucial data for implementing the new system, many remain skeptical about the return on investment for taxpayers.