New York City will soon be providing Queens home owners with a rebate check to cover the cost of the city’s official trash bins.
Mayor Eric Adams announced Thursday that the owners of one and two-family homes who receive Basic or Enhanced School Tax Relief (STAR or E-STAR) credits will receive a $59.30 check to cover the cost of their official NYC Bin.
The Adams Administration said checks will be arriving at homes across the city in the coming weeks, adding that homeowners do not have to do anything in order to receive them as the Department of Finance will be automatically sending them out.
The announcement comes after a lengthy stand-off between Adams and the City Council when his Hizzoner refused to sign legislation into law even after it passed the City Council with a veto-proof majority earlier in the year.
The law, introduced by Manhattan Council Member Yusef Salaam, was passed unanimously by the City Council in February with a veto-proof majority and would provide hundreds of thousands of specially-secure bins to New Yorkers.
Adams had initially revealed that he would not sign off on the law even after it passed with a veto-proof majority, according to a report in the New York Post. The Mayor had previously described the law as “fiscally irresponsible.”
However, he reversed course on Aug. 6 and stated that City Hall would now provide the $14.5 million required to fund the program.
The law aims to financially assist New Yorkers with obtaining the city’s new official trashcan, NYC Bin, which will be required for all residential buildings with between one and nine units starting June 2026.
As of Nov. 12, 2024, all properties with one to nine residential units, including one and two-family homes, are required to use bins, 55 gallons or less, with secure lids for trash set out.
Residents who already use a bin of a similar size may continue to use it only until June 2026, when they will be required to use the official NYC Bin.
Adams said Thursday that the rebate will simultaneously encourages residents to “do their part” in building a cleaner New York while also putting more money back in the pockets of working-class New Yorkers.
“Our ‘Trash Revolution’ is now not only making our city cleaner, but also more affordable,” Adams said in a statement. “I encourage everyone who has not yet to order an NYC Bin to do so today. There’s no reason to wait — cleaning up our city starts at home, so make sure to get your NYC Bin and get cash back.”
As part of the rebate program, homeowners who have already purchased their NYC Bin online or by phone will automatically receive a check for $59.30.
Those who have not yet purchased their NYC Bin will receive a letter notifying them that they will automatically receive a check within 30 days of making their purchase online or over the phone at 855-692-2467.
Those who have purchased or will purchase their NYC Bin in person at Home Depot will receive a voucher code that they can use online — with proof of purchase — to request their reimbursement check.
Acting NYC Sanitation Commissioner Javier Lojan said the rebate makes it “even easier” for homeowners to acquire an NYC Bin, which he described as one of the most affordable containers on the market.
“NYC Bins are delivering cleaner streets and sidewalks and fewer rats, and I encourage those who have not yet ordered their bin to use this check to make their purchase in the coming weeks,” Lojan said in a statement.
DOF Commissioner Preston Niblack, meanwhile, said the agency is proud to play its part in keeping the city clean and making it more affordable for New Yorkers.
“Homeowners don’t need to fill out any forms or applications — if you’re eligible, you’ll get your check in the mail automatically,” Niblack said in a statement.
The DOF will send letters in the coming weeks notifying homeowners of the refund.
Adams initially refused to sign off on the law and informed the Council to come up with $14.5 million to fund the program by itself, prompting fierce backlash from the Council.
City Hall officials also told the New York Post last month that the Council should have fought for the legislation to be included in the recently-approved $115.9 billion budget for FY26. The Council maintained that City Hall was required to fund the law out of the Mayor’s Office and Management Budget (OMB) after the Council voted unanimously in favor of the law.
City Hall reversed course later in August, signaling that it would provide the $14.5 million necessary to fund the law.
Council Member Joann Ariola, who sharply criticized Adams for originally refusing to sign the law, told QNS last month that the Mayor has “no choice” but to fund the law. She added that Adams had only reversed course after bending to public pressure.
