New York City Council Sanitation Committee Votes on Dog Waste Bills on August 13, 2026
New York City Council Committee on Sanitation and Solid Waste Management Vote Hearing
On Thursday, August 13, 2026, the New York City Council Committee on Sanitation and Solid Waste Management, chaired by Justin E. Sanchez, held a hearing to vote on two proposed local laws addressing dog waste management. The committee previously heard testimony on both bills on May 19, 2026. Both items were approved by the committee.
Discussion Items
- Int. No. 857-A (sponsored by Speaker Julie Menon): A local law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, requiring the Department of Sanitation to install and refill dog waste bag dispensers on public litter baskets. An amendment was proposed and adopted by the committee.
- Int. No. 872-A (sponsored by Councilmember Shahana Hanif): A local law to establish a public education and outreach campaign regarding the removal of dog waste. The bill includes a sunset provision and requires the Commissioner of Health and Mental Hygiene to make materials available in English and all designated citywide languages, and to submit a report to the Speaker of the Council on the campaign's effectiveness. An amendment was proposed and adopted by the committee.
Key Outcomes
- Int. No. 857-A was approved by roll call with 10 affirmative votes (Sanchez, Hanif, Hankerson, Maloney, Santosuosso, Thomas-Henry, Ung, Vernikov, Wilson, and Zhuang) and 1 abstention due to bereavement (Louis). The transcript records a vote of 9 in the affirmative, zero in the negative, and no abstentions, with the roll held open; the final recorded roll call in the minutes shows 10 affirmatives. This discrepancy is noted.
- Int. No. 872-A was also approved by roll call with the same 10 affirmative votes and 1 bereavement (Louis). The committee chair stated both items were adopted with no objections.
Meeting Transcript
Good morning, and welcome to today's New York City Council vote for the Committee on Sanitation and Solid Waste Management. At this time, please silence all electronic devices. Chair Sanchez, we are ready to begin. Good morning, everyone. And welcome to today's hearing by the Committee on Sanitation and Solid Waste Management. The purpose of this hearing is to hold a vote on introduction number eight fifty-seven A, sponsored by Speaker Julie Menon, and introduction number eight seventy two A by Councilmember Shahana Hanif. The committee previously heard both of these bills at a hearing on May 19th, 2026, where it received testimony from representatives of the Department of Sanitation and interested members of the public. This bill also requires the Commissioner of Health and Mental Hygiene to make any materials developed for outreach and education commune available in English and all designated citywide languages. So no one can say they didn't know. And to submit to a report to the Speaker of the Council regarding the effectiveness of the education and outreach. So we will know if it's working. Thank you. Hankerson. I Maloney. Thank you. Thomas Henry. I Wilson. I Vernikov. Hi. Thank you. With a vote of nine in the affirmative zero and the negative and no abstentions. Both items have been adopted by the committee, and the role will be held open at request of the chair. Hi. Continuation roll call committee on sanitation. Councilmember. No obstructions. And with that, today's committee on sanitization and sales and waste management is officially closed.
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