By Josh Haraf, Vice President of NYC Market
If you’re a business owner in New York City or an advocate for safer, cleaner streets, you may have heard that the city’s commercial waste landscape is starting a new chapter. And if you’ve been a part of the CWZ rollout in Bronx, Queens or Brooklyn zones this past year, you’ve experienced it firsthand.
The Commercial Waste Zone (CWZ) program, introduced in 2019, was a bold step forward for the New York City waste landscape. Under this policy, the city was segmented into twenty distinct zones, each served by a limited number of rigorously vetted carters. The goal was a smarter, fairer, safer system that benefits businesses, workers and residents.
As we look back at the rollouts in Bronx, Queens and Brooklyn, it has been an operational milestone for carters and our city, but also a reminder of why the Commercial Waste Zone (CWZ) program exists in the first place. It’s here to simplify the system, make streets safer and cleaner, bring real transparency to pricing, and give businesses the most reliable and responsible carters to choose from.
What we’ve seen and learned from our customers through each zone launch
Since hitting the ground, we have focused closely on what matters most to businesses:
• Simple onboarding
• Predictable, consistent pricing
• Compliance to CWZ rules made easy
• Reliable, safe service that doesn’t disrupt operations
Our job is to make this transition as easy as possible for customers. We’ve helped guide businesses through the new rules, adjusted collection schedules to match what local owners needed, and evaluated equipment and services. We have been listening and adapting in real time.
Safety, service, and sustainability: the priorities don’t change
If there’s one thing our team has learned over 25 years serving businesses in NYC, it’s that being a good partner means keeping your priorities straight.
For us, that means helping businesses run smoothly by making their lives easier, while keeping safety at the forefront for our drivers, pedestrians, and everyone who shares the streets. We’ve backed that commitment with major investments including AI‑powered safety cameras, direct‑vision trucks, sideguards, and continuous driver training. And although we’ve made significant progress, we’re pushing to improve every day.
It also means investing in sustainability, not just because the city expects it, but because our industry should lead the way. It’s the right thing to do for our community and our environment. Above all, we stay focused on being efficient and reliable, because the best service is the kind you never have to think about.
Where We’re Headed Next
With Brooklyn South and Queens Northeast successfully completed, along with everything learned in the Bronx, we are positioned to deliver exceptional service as we move into Manhattan, the next zone, launching April 1. As the most awarded carter, we’re able to serve all customers across the Bronx, Brooklyn and Manhattan.
The city continues moving into a new era of commercial waste collection, and we’re ready for it. We know the neighborhoods, we know the businesses, and we know what it takes to be compliant under the CWZ program.
What we’re looking forward to most is continuing to prove what this program can accomplish when policy and real-world experience work together. There’s more learning ahead, more chances to improve, and more opportunities to help New York run cleaner, safer, and smarter.
This evolution is something to be excited about.