Earlier this week, New York City rolled out a new initiative familiar to most: putting trash bags inside a trash bin when trash is taken out. 

Before that, however, the city spent $4 million to figure out exactly how trash bins would work. New York’s Department of Sanitation and the city’s Economic Development Corporation awarded a $4 million contract to McKinsey & Company in 2022 for consultants to examine the trash bin pilot program, Gothamist reported at the time of the contract.

Over a 20-week contract, McKinsey consultants used studies from other cities that rolled out similar initiatives to determine which type of trash bins would suit New York best. They then gave their recommendations to the city, and Mayor Eric Adams rolled out the new bins Monday.

“The new official NYC Bin is the cheapest bin of its quality available; similarly durable bins with wheels and a secure, latching lid are sold in retail stores for almost three times the price,” the mayor’s office said in a statement. “These savings were achieved through an innovative contracting mechanism in which one vendor is held to a low price in exchange for exclusivity.”

One city councilwoman was weary of an outside group doing the work, deeming the contract “unnecessary.”

“There was a body of work done … [with] a lot of these ideas that is sitting there and could easily be looked at again,” said Councilwoman Sandy Nurse, head of the council’s sanitation committee. “Hiring McKinsey seems a little unnecessary at best. The city should be developing this kind of expertise in-house at city agencies.”

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At the time of the contract, a spokesman for the Department of Sanitation said McKinsey was chosen due to its expertise in the industry. 

“McKinsey had by far the most specific experience on waste management, operations, design, and large-scale government procurements, without having to rely on subcontractors,” said Vincent Gragnani, the Department of Sanitation spokesman. “They also had the experience in geospatial mapping and data analytics, supply chain analysis, and cost model development we’re looking for here.”