Committee on Sanitation and Solid Waste Management meeting
March 16, 2026, 10:30 AM
The Committee on Sanitation and Solid Waste Management held its FY2027 preliminary budget hearing on the Department of Sanitation. The committee took testimony and recorded no votes.
What was discussed
- Opening, swearing in, and member recognitions for the DSNY budget hearing Chair Justin E. Sanchez opened the Committee on Sanitation and Solid Waste Management's FY2027 preliminary budget hearing on the Department of Sanitation, recognized attending colleagues, and committee counsel swore in the DSNY witnesses.
- Acting Commissioner Javier Lojan's opening testimony on the DSNY preliminary budget Acting DSNY Commissioner Javier Lojan delivered opening testimony, saying the department is fully staffed for uniformed positions and nearly at full civilian headcount as he outlined the FY2027 preliminary budget.
- How is DSNY staffed, and how much does it spend on overtime? Chair Justin E. Sanchez questioned overtime spending; Acting Commissioner Lojan said about $257.9 million (roughly 19%) of the $1.344 billion personal-services budget is overtime, that uniformed workers averaged about 225 overtime hours in FY25, and that 12-month uniformed turnover is around 7%
- How is DSNY implementing the Chief Savings Officer and PEG savings targets? Finance Chair Linda Lee asked about the citywide savings mandate; Acting Commissioner Lojan said he designated a Chief Savings Officer and Deputy Commissioner Antonelli said the targets are 1.5% this year and 2.5% next year, with measures still working through the OMB process.
- How does DSNY handle abandoned vehicles and illegal dumping enforcement? Council Member Linda Lee asked about abandoned vehicles and dumping; Acting Commissioner Lojan said DSNY recently contracted four vendors through a normal RFP to remove abandoned vehicles, that derelict vehicles are those without plates valued under $2,250, and that license-plate-reader cameras have
- Is Staten Island and are school areas getting adequate snow operations? Council Members David M. Carr and Frank Morano pressed on snow operations; Acting Commissioner Lojan said DSNY prioritizes salt-spreading and has dedicated critical-facility routes around schools, and explained that Plow NYC tracks thousands of street segments, with internal conversations ongoing
- How does DSNY allocate resources across boroughs and track cleanliness? Chair Sanchez asked about borough-level equity; Acting Commissioner Lojan described pooled-versus-borough allocation, said the highest rate of dirty conditions is about 8 per 1,000 residents, that DSNY is budgeted for 7,960 uniformed personnel, and that the department does not currently track
- What revenue will the commercial waste zones program generate? Chair Sanchez asked about commercial waste zone (CWZ) fees; Acting Commissioner Lojan said the fee is a little over $107,000 per awarded carter and that once all 20 zones are implemented, fee revenue will approach $7 million.
- How is DSNY enforcing street-vending sanitation and rolling out body cameras? Council Member Pierina Ana Sanchez and Chair Sanchez asked about vending and transparency; Acting Commissioner Lojan said about 40 positions are dedicated to vending-related work, that resources are currently adequate and coordinated with NYPD, and that DSNY received funding for body cameras for its
- What does expanded litter-basket service cost, and how many New Yorkers does it reach? Chair Sanchez probed litter-basket servicing; Acting Commissioner Lojan said the service is baselined at $29.7 million, that every basket is serviced at least once a day (more on commercial corridors), that about 75% of New Yorkers are covered by expanded service, and that doubling six-day service
- How much is DSNY investing in composting, outreach, and smart compost bins? Council Member Shahana K. Hanif asked about diversion and composting; Acting Commissioner Lojan said composting funding is baselined at $33.4 million (flat) and that each smart compost bin costs about $5,500 including installation, with roughly 400 bins citywide held steady to evaluate the program
- What is in DSNY's capital plan for garages, trucks, and marine transfer stations? Chair Sanchez asked about capital investment; Acting Commissioner Lojan said the FY2026-2035 capital commitment plan is about $3.26 billion, that the Bronx garage replacement is not expected to have cost overruns, that collection trucks have about an eight-year useful life, and that roughly $38
- How is DSNY addressing graffiti, lithium-battery truck fires, and abandoned cars? Council Member Gale A. Brewer raised graffiti, battery fires, and abandoned vehicles; Acting Commissioner Lojan said the graffiti budget is $2.7 million for FY26 and driven by 311 complaints, that truck fires rose from 152 in 2024 to 168 in 2025 (38 so far this year), and described a pilot placing
- Why are waste export costs rising, and can the contracts be renegotiated? Chair Sanchez questioned waste export costs; Deputy Commissioner Antonelli said the roughly $594.8 million reflects expected spending driven by CPI adjustments and tonnage collected, that long-term contracts were structured to avoid price volatility, and that DSNY works with vendors on efficiencies
- Is DSNY keeping commercial corridors clean? Council Member Sandra Ung pressed on cleanliness along her commercial corridor; Acting Commissioner Lojan said DSNY inspects the area regularly, acknowledged seasonal challenges over December through February, and committed to continued collaboration on the issue.
- What is the cost and impact of the M9 containerization pilot? Chair Sanchez asked about the Manhattan Community District 9 containerization pilot; Acting Commissioner Lojan said DSNY is fully committed to citywide containerization, that the pilot is funded entirely with city tax-levy funds, that about 55% of refuse tonnage in M9 is still serviced manually, and
- How many enforcement officers target illegal vending, and what did the snow response cost? Council Member Ty Hankerson asked about enforcement and storm spending; Acting Commissioner Lojan said DSNY has 94 sanitation enforcement officers (about 35 spread across illegal-vending work), that assignment data isn't public but he would follow up, and that the recent snowstorm cost about $34
- Why does DSNY consistently exceed budgeted uniformed headcount, and what about garage plans? Council Member Inna Vernikov asked about staffing and facilities; Acting Commissioner Lojan said OMB has been responsive on additional funds, and Deputy Commissioner Antonelli explained DSNY has been over its budgeted uniformed headcount for several years by design and described challenges with
- How will DSNY handle sidewalk cafes and sanitation for the World Cup and USA 250? Chair Sanchez closed with sidewalk cafes and summer mega-events; Acting Commissioner Lojan said DSNY defers to DOT on shed counts and enforces cleanliness via 311, that DSNY has no portable-restroom program, and that there is no dedicated funding or planned reimbursement yet for World Cup and USA
- Zero-waste, composting and environmental advocates Advocates including Eric Goldstein (Natural Resources Defense Council), Christina Datz-Romero (Lower East Side Ecology Center), Justin Green (Big Reuse), Justin Wood, Clare Miflin and others urged the committee to expand and protect composting and community recycling programs and to keep advancing
Agenda
1 item
- T2026-1360 New York City Council Budget and Oversight Hearings on The Preliminary Budget for Fiscal Year 2027, The Preliminary Capital Plan for Fiscal Years 2027-2030 and The Fiscal 2026 Preliminary Mayor’s Management Report 10:30 a.m. Department of Sanitation 12:00 p.m. Public Hearing Held by Committee