‘Futuristic' UFO-like trash bins invade NYC neighborhood, abduct parking spaces and get low marks from locals: ‘Hideous'
These space invaders are trash.
The city has installed a bunch of anti-rat trash bins outside upper Manhattan schools – but locals say the spaceship-shaped monstrosities aren't exactly out of this world.
'They look out-of-place here,' said Marcus Delgado, 52, of the city Department of Sanitation, 'Empire Bins' gobbling up parking spots along Amsterdam Avenue near 152nd Street.
'They look futuristic, you know, the shape of them,' he added. 'It looks like a robot sitting there with two arms sticking out.'
The mini-tank-sized receptacles are part of a 1,000-strong fleet coming to the area this summer – but paralegal Denise Anna said they didn't fit with the neighborhood's aesthetic even though they may be needed to scare away rodents.
'They are hideous,' Anna, 33, said.
A Hamilton Heights resident who identified herself only as Lisa said it 'takes away from the Harlem Renaissance.'
'Putting these things here that are not vibing with the neighborhood – It's not the right fit,' she said.
The 'European-style' gray bins will be used this spring in a pilot program within Harlem's Community District 9 – which includes the Morningside Heights, Manhattanville and Sugar Hill. They'll be rolled out at residential properties with 31 or more units and about half of area buildings with as little as 10 units, according to a sanitation department rep.
Starting on June 1, 2025, all residential buildings in the area will be required to use the bins. The locked bins will be accessible to building staff and waste managers via 'access cards' and will be serviced by new side-loading trucks.
'This is a vast improvement, both in terms of aesthetics and in terms of scalability,' DSNY rep Vincent Gragnani told The Post, adding that the containerization program is vital to decreasing the number of rats in the area.
'The previous pilot [from 2023], while imperfect, showed fantastic results, with rat sightings reported to 311 down a staggering 60% in the pilot zone,' Gragnani said.
The new figures from DSNY come after a Post analysis of 311 rat sighting data found that Community Board 9 as a whole saw an increase in rat sightings, up 8.66% between 2023 and 2024.
The rat sighting reports are still up across the district in 2025, up 11% from 112 rat sighting reports this time last year.
West Harlem resident Anna Galka said 'we will have to get used to these.'
'It doesn't blend in with the architecture of this place, but if this is the best they can do to solve the rat problem, then we will see,' Galka said.
'I want to see these where the rich people live – on the Upper East Side and Upper West Side,' Galka added. 'Let's see how the rich people like these ugly things in their neighborhood.'
DSNY said community board feedback on a previous pilot program was 'overwhelmingly positive.'
Patricia Urena, 72, said: 'They look good. There is nothing wrong with the way they look – and they are getting rid of the big rats.'
Urena also pointed to the parking spaces the bins now occupy as 'a problem' for the area's drivers — but emphasized the pros outweigh the cons.
'What's important is that the place is clean and we are getting rid of the rats,' she said. 'They are a big concern in this community.'
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