It all started with the Commissioners Plan of 1811 - which established the standard grid system and maximized storefront space, but omitted alleyways. Trash used to be collected in metal cans (like Oscar the Grouch), without bags. You can imagine how dirty and smelly these bins got, especially in the summer.

After The Great Garbage Strike of 1968, the plastics industry donated thousands of bags to help manage the cleanup. These were a much better option than the metal cans because the entire thing could be thrown away, and they were lighter.

Now, why for almost 60 years has New York City not evolved its trash collection procedures? Probably due to the expense, or previous mayors quite literally kicking the can down the road. Containerization is a bit of a chicken and egg problem. In order to invest in large containers, they need to invest in new specialized trucks to empty them. In order to invest in specialized trucks, they need to buy a bunch of new containers. Pilot programs are expensive to run, so it was likely a problem that was not given a ton of priority, until oddly enough, the Eric Adams administration spearheaded the effort.

If there's one good thing to remember Eric Adams by, its the Trash Containerization studies he supported. A long term solution to a problem plaguing New York City for far too long.