The Logistics of NYC Waste Management

New York City has 8.5 million people living within the city limits, which are in a relatively small area compared to other large cities. Manhattan has more than 70,000 people per square mile, stacked atop each other in tall buildings, all producing garbage everyday. Where does all that garbage go? Up until 2001, it was taken to a landfill on Staten Island, but Fresh Kills was never adequate or safe. And you can't just dump all that trash in the ocean.

New York City employees more than 9,000 people to deal with garbage, and there are thousands more working for private companies under city contracts. They collect trash every day, compact it, load it onto huge containers, and send it by train to far-flung parts of the country. Half as Interesting explains the complex logistics of dealing with trash in a system most New Yorkers know little about, and don't want to think about. The video is only 5:45, the rest is an ad.