NYC Sanitation Worker cheat sheet

Sanitation Worker Written Examination

• Collection routes are run on assigned shifts; a crew that finishes early is typically reassigned rather than dismissed, so plan for a full shift.

• Curbside set-out rules: material must be at the curb by the posted time on the scheduled day; late set-outs may be left behind and count as a missed collection.

• Recyclables are separated from refuse at the point of collection; mixing refuse into recycling contaminates the load and can cause the whole load to be rejected.

• Sanitation trucks are heavy vehicles with large blind spots behind and to the right; never stand in the rear-right quadrant while the packer is operating.

• The packer blade is the primary crush hazard; the emergency stop and the hopper controls are the operator's responsibility, and no one enters the hopper for any reason.

• Sharps, chemicals, and other hazardous items are not placed in ordinary refuse; they are routed to designated hazardous-waste programs.

• Report injuries, equipment damage, and near-misses immediately to the supervisor; documentation protects both the worker and the crew.

• A civil-service written exam for this title typically tests reading comprehension, following written instructions, and basic arithmetic and map/route reasoning rather than trade knowledge alone.