The New York City Department of Sanitation and its nonprofit partner the Sanitation Foundation unveiled the latest round of Trucks of Art, a unique art project that challenges artists to beautify five 23-ton collection vehicles with hand-painted designs. The selected artists used their nearly 400 square feet of “canvas” to highlight cleanliness, sustainability and New York’s Strongest, the 7,500 uniformed men and women who keep New York City clean, safe and healthy.
The five featured artists were chosen from among more than 400 submissions, which were evaluated by a team of DSNY personnel, Sanitation Foundation staff and board members, as well as special guests Nick Heller (better known online as NY Nico) and Emmy Award-winning host, producer and author, Andy Cohen. The committee selected designs centered on the themes of cleanliness, recycling, composting and/or honoring the DSNY workforce. In addition to these themes, design considerations included uniqueness of design, complexity of design and potential for a flexible palette, as no colors could be guaranteed in advance.
“This is art at work,” said deputy mayor for operations Julia Kerson. “After today, these trucks aren’t going to sit on a corner or fill a museum, they’ll be on the streets immediately, helping New York’s Strongest haul millions of pounds of trash, recycling, and compost every day. Thank you to the incredible artists and the workers of DSNY for reminding New Yorkers that public service is something to be marveled at.”
“At the Sanitation Foundation, we believe every New Yorker has a role to play in caring for this city,” said Caryl Englander, board chair of the Sanitation Foundation. “Trucks of Art is a visible reminder of that shared responsibility, celebrating New York-based artists, local communities, and the DSNY workers who help care for our city every day.”
The selected artists painted their trucks over a seven day period at the Department of Sanitation’s Central Repair Shop in Maspeth. Trucks of Art was also a zero-waste challenge, with artists using cans of New Yorkers’ unwanted paints collected through Materials for the Arts and partners including Big Reuse and GreenSheen, a partner of PaintCare.
Each artist received a stipend for their work, thanks to the Sanitation Foundation and its generous sponsors, including Mack and PaintCare. To further its mission of keeping the city clean, the Sanitation Foundation organized two community cleanups Tuesday in the area surrounding Union Square.
Each of the five trucks will be sent to sanitation garages, where they will immediately begin collection routes.
This is the department’s third Trucks of Art program.
Published July 2026
