NumberCan is a project of Primo Cans, the Brooklyn shop that makes address labels for NYC bins. Not a government site.
NumberCan How to mark your bin so it always comes back

NYC bin handbook

Every NYC Bin looks exactly the same. Number yours.

Every building in New York with 1 to 9 residential units now sets out trash in the same official bin. Same shape, same lid, same logo. The city planned for that: every official NYC Bin ships with a blank white panel made for your address. This site - and the label we make - exists for that panel.

Get your label

Verified against DSNY & 311 sources · Last checked September 25, 2026

Why your bin needs a number

Mix-ups are the default

Sanitation crews don't return bins to the exact spot they found them, and wind moves empties half a block. When every bin on the street is identical, the unmarked one is the one that walks.

Theft happens

If your bin is stolen, DSNY does not replace it - the remedy is a police report and a new bin at your expense. A bin with a big address on it is harder to steal quietly and easier to report.

Some buildings must label

Buildings with 4 or more units are required to keep bins and waste areas clearly labeled and signed, and can be fined when they aren't. Recycling and compost bins must be labeled everywhere.

The label

Your address, printed to last

House number big, street name small, black on white - the way the NYC Bin's address panel was designed to be used. Peel-and-stick vinyl with UV laminate, rated 10+ years outdoors through sun, rain and road salt. Readable from the curb. Add the small 1x4 labels to the lid - inside and out - and the sides, and your bin reads as yours from every angle, even buried in a row of identical ones.

Made in Brooklyn by Primo Cans, the shop behind this site.

See the labels

The 60-second install

  1. Clean the panel. Wipe with rubbing alcohol and let it dry completely.
  2. Check the temperature. Apply above 50°F - cold vinyl does not bond.
  3. Peel the backing off the label.
  4. Position it on the bin's white address panel, house number level.
  5. Press hard from the center outward for 30 seconds.
  6. Let it cure 24 hours before the bin sees rain or a wash.

The full walkthrough, including where the label goes: how to label a garbage can.

Also worth two minutes

Your bin has a serial number

Photograph yours the day the bin arrives - it's your proof of ownership. Why it matters

Bin stolen or missing?

Police report first, then a replacement. DSNY does not replace stolen bins. What to do

The rules themselves

Deadlines, fines and enforcement live at our sibling site, cans.nyc - NYC's plain-English guide to the bin rules.