With the population of the city steadily growing, how are New Yorkers somehow throwing out less trash? No one seems to be able to figure out why, yet the amount of garbage and recyclables picked up by sanitation workers has been going down over each of the last four years. Reasons speculated behind the drop include a move away from glass bottles, an increase in the usage of garbage disposals in homes and even less periodicals being left on curbs due to the decline in print journalism (read all about it here on the Post's website). But experts say that none of those factors are significant enough to warrant the 7% drop in trash since 2005. Even the head of the Department of Sanitation can't wrap his head around it. Commissioner John Doherty said, "How can New York City be growing and our tonnage is going down? The fact of the matter is that's what's happening. It's amazing."
Published Dec 27, 2008
Modified Dec 27, 2008
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