There is a difference between a garbage bin and a pile of garbage. NYC has piles of garbage bags just on the street.

NYC has both, because I generally consider compost a type of garbage and that is definitely stored in bins and hauled to the sidewalk, at least for the buildings that have opted into the composting program.

Not being sarcastic. Every other place I've been uses containers (wheeled bins, cans, dumpsters) to prevent rats and to make collection cheaper.

What is the purpose of piles?

> What is the purpose of piles

We like to keep out-of-towners rattled.

At the cost of rats everywhere? I guess it works. At least I have an alternate explanation for why it's tolerated, even though I don't think this is a serious response.

See? You’re rattled

Where would you keep the bins? Where would people park when the bins are out? How many bins would a say 15 floor apartment building have?

New York City only recently got the memo about putting garbage into bins.

(Really!)

> I think you're being sarcastic, but the purpose of leaving the garbage bins outside is so that the garbage trucks can pick them up, as their contract stipulates that they pick up from the sidewalk and not from inside the (numerous) buildings.

Uh. Where I live – on the other coast – we just place our trash in plastic containers. We place them on the street the same way. Garbage truck picks them up and the driver doesn't even have to get out of the vehicle. No rats, more efficient, no people cutting their hands because they are picking up plastic bags and there's glass shards in them. Nobody has to even touch the containers.

> the driver doesn't even have to get out of the vehicle

Does everyone orient their bins correctly and precisely enough for the truck's pickup device? Is the pickup device so flexible that it doesn't matter?

Perhaps surprisingly; yes. Most likely only because the population density of tertiary markets still allows it.

One week of your garbage not getting picked up will change your behaviour.