Report — Just Jobs for Waste Workers
Private sanitation work is hard, and remains one of the most dangerous jobs in the nation. 1 Since off-the-books employee Mouctar Diallo died under the wheels of a New York private garbage truck in November 2017, a brutal world of grueling overnight routes, difficult physical labor, harsh weather conditions, and exploitative employers has come to light. It does not have to be that way.
For workers, there is plenty of potential in the Commercial Waste Zone (CWZ) plan being finalized this year by New York City Council and the City of New York Department of Sanitation (DSNY). The plan will reform the city’s current private carting system, in which dozens of different carting companies compete in each neighborhood, running long and dangerous routes to pick up waste from scattered customers.
If the city assigns just one hauler to each commercial zone – and holds them to labor, environmental, safety, and pricing standards through a competitive bidding system – the policy can turn sanitation jobs into great jobs. What follows are the illuminating experiences of six private sanitation workers, and our recommendations on how the CWZ policy could make life better for thousands of hard-working men and women in this industry while making the city safer and more sustainable.
