Last fall CNBC aired “Trash Inc: The Secret Life of Trash” (see the video below). On occasion they re-air the expose. First there are some overall facts to keep in mind. According to the program, there are approximately 2300 landfills in the United States and it is a $52 billion, that’s billion with a “B”, dollar a year industry. This week’s set of Five Friday Facts focuses on New York City. Last year we had a Five Friday Facts that also focused on New York City sanitation. Check back on future Fridays for other segments from “The Secret Life of Trash”.
These facts come from the show:
- 12,000 tons of garbage & 2,000 tons of recycling generated everyday in NYC
- Base salary for NYC garbage collectors starts at nearly $70,000 plus benefits, with 9,400 collectors covering
- New trucks start at $250K, NYC maintains 1,500 trucks, and has a $1.3 billion budget
- Exporting trash costs NYC $330 million annually
- From an older post of ours: NYC Sanitation Department plans to buy 300 hybrid trash collectors (at a cost of $500,000 each, double the cost of diesel counterparts)