City Council passes bill to limit waste at transfer stations

City Council passed a bill Wednesday that is intended to limit the amount of trash processed at transfer stations in Brooklyn, the Bronx and Queens.
The maximum will be reduced by 50 percent in Brooklyn and by one-third in the Bronx and Queens.
Now, the city and Department of Sanitation are proposing 20 new zones throughout the five boroughs, with three to five companies operating in each. The companies would then bid and be assigned the rights to serve customers in that territory.
Due to there being less competition, critics say the proposal could hike prices for small businesses that pay for their own trash collection. Others worry the zoning proposal might put jobs at risk.
The city says it's trying to improve standards in the industry when it comes to traffic, road safety and air pollution.