1. If you use a translucent bag for anything other than recycling  you will be summonsed.
2. If you use garbage or recycling cans, they must be from 20 to 32 gallon capacity and tightly lidded. The recycling cans must be properly labeled. No lids...no labels equals a summons.
3. Use of small supermarket shopping bags as your garbage receptacle is illegal. Garbage bags must be opaque and have at least a 15 gallon capacity. (Tall kitchen bags)
4. Storage of garbage and recycling cans must be behind the building line.
5. If you put your garbage or recyclables out for collection BEFORE 8:00 PM in the summer and BEFORE 5:00 PM in the winter, the evening before your collection day, you run the risk of a summons.
6. If you fail to sweep your sidewalks, from the building line to eighteen inches past the curb, you run the risk of a summons. There is no limit for residential litter summonses.
7. If you are the owner, tenant, occupant or the person in charge of any lot or building, you must clear the snow and/or ice from your sidewalk within  four hours after the snow has stopped falling, or by 11:00 AM the next morning if the snow continued to fall past 9:00 PM. Please note: Snow MUST NOT be thrown into the street. You should also be careful not to cover fire hydrants with snow-this could interfere with firefighting efforts. If the snow or ice becomes frozen and it is too hard to remove, you may spread clean unused cat litter, sand, sawdust or another similarly suitable material within the same time limits.  If you are unable to remove ice and snow from your sidewalk yourself you must make provisions to have someone else do it for you. FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH THE LAW MAY RESULT IN FINES RANGING FROM $100 TO $350. JUST REMEMBER, THE GOAL OF THE DEPT. OF SANITATION IS TO CLEAR YOUR STREET AND MAKE IT PASSABLE AS FAST AS POSSIBLE. YOUR GOAL SHOULD BE TO FULLY COOPERATE WITH THEIR EFFORTS SO THAT THEY CAN DO THEIR JOB!
8. Tree limbs, brush and bushes must be cut to four feet in length and bundled and tied. Leaves must be bagged.
9. Recyclables must be put out for collection in clear bags or properly labeled 32 gallon cans.
10. Refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners, de-humidifiers and water coolers must have the Freon (CFC gases) removed by the Department of Sanitation, before collection. Please call 311 to make an appointment.
11. Tires can not be placed in a collection truck. Up to four tires, rims included, may be brought to your local garbage for recycling, every day of the week.
12. There is a limit (6) bags and (6) bulk items per collection day in neighborhoods with one and two family homes. The limit on bags does not apply to multi-unit dwellings.

      NEW LAW: RESIDENTIAL ENFORCEMENT ROUTING PROGRAM

On Tuesday, August 17th, 2004, a new law took effect requiring the Department of Sanitation to begin enforcement of the new Residential Enforcement Routing Program. Pursuant to the law (Local Law 9 of 2004), the Department of Sanitation promulgated rules establishing two (2) one-hour enforcement routing periods per day when Notices of Violation can be issued to homeowners for litter in front of their property. These rules, which became effective, August 18th, 2004, set the residential enforcement routing times as follows: All Community Board Districts Citywide 8:00 am to 9:00 am and 12:00 noon to 1:00 pm Effective Monday, September 27th, 2004.

Under the residential enforcement routing program, Sanitation Enforcement agents will patrol blocks during the specified times focusing on dirty sidewalks and failure to clean 18 inches into the street, the two violations which have the most impact on street cleanliness. It is every homeowner's responsibility to maintain the sidewalk area adjoining their home and 18 inches from the curb into the street. All sweepings must be picked up, bagged and disposed of properly; do not sweep them into the street, gutter, catch basins of corner litter baskets .When the Enforcement agent is on a residential block during these time periods and the area in front of a dwelling or building is dirty, a notice of violation (NOV) will be issued. Agents may issue NOVs for dirty sidewalks and failure to clean 18 inches into the street only during the specified residential enforcement routing times; however, agents can issue NOVs for all other violations, such as failure to store receptacles, uncovered receptacles, failure to separate recycling materials, etc. at any time. There will be no changes to the Commercial Routing Program.

As we implement the new law, we realize that residents will need a period of adjustment. Therefore, from now until September 27th, only warnings will be issued for the designated violations in residential areas. Violation issuance pursuant to the new residential enforcement routing hours will begin on Monday, September 27, 2004. For more information regarding this new law or any other sanitation questions, you can visit their website at www.nyc.gov/sanitation

The Dept. of Sanitation will no longer be collecting Fire wood and wood from trees growing on residential properties. The NYC Dept. of Parks will now provide a free onsite service of wood chipping and disposing of this material. To schedule an appointment, please call 311 or go to www.nyc.gov/parks. Debris should be bundled in bales no larger that 3 by 4 feet, tied in twine and contain NO individual piece larger than 4 feet long by 10 feet wide. NO treated or Painted Lumber, Wood Furniture, Wood Pallets, Building Lumber, Mulch Chips or Leaves. These will continue to be serviced by the Dept. of Sanitation.

Sanitation: Wipe Out Wireless Waste is an ambitious recycling program sponsored by KAB and Sprint/Nextel that seeks to recycle no longer needed cellular phones. To participate, all you need to do is to remove the rechargeable battery from any cell phone (all brands accepted) and place them along with the unwanted cellular phone into a special envelope that gets mailed to them. Log onto www.KAB.org/PHONERECYCLING and obtain a free postage paid special envelope.