Richard Perry/The New York Times Trash remains one of the city's leading exports.Garbage in, garbage out, the saying goes. But how much, and at what cost?
The average New Yorker produced nearly three pounds of residential refuse or recyclables daily in 2012, according to the city's Independent Budget Office (see chart below).
While that's the lowest amount since at least 2000, the cost of collecting and disposing of the garbage has remained relatively constant, ranging from a low of about 70 cents in 2002 to a high of more than 80 cents in 2008. In 2012, the average cost per person daily was about 75 cents. The cost figures are all in 2012 dollars.
Refuse accounts for most of the garbage, but recycling, which is more expensive per pound, makes up nearly half the daily expenditure.
N.Y.C. Garbage Production (PDF)
N.Y.C. Garbage Production (Text)
