Calling All Artists: Paint A DSNY Collection Truck!

2022 Manhattan, Artist: Timothy Goodman. Photo Courtesy of DSNY

“Trucks of Art” Program Highlights Sustainability and Honors New York’s Strongest

The New York City Department of Sanitation, together with the Sanitation Foundation, has announced Trucks of Art — a paid opportunity for artists to creatively paint an entire collection truck — is back!

DSNY is welcoming all artists — professional, amateur and aspiring — to submit applications to transform a 46,000-pound collection vehicle into a work of art. Priority will be given to proposals that celebrate keeping NYC clean, sustainability, and the DSNY workforce. To promote sustainability, artists are encouraged to use paints that would otherwise be discarded or recycled.

“Sanitation trucks have become part of our city’s streetscape, and today we announce a third opportunity for local artists to reimagine these trucks as 400 square feet of metal canvas and transform them into roving works of art,” said Acting Commissioner Javier Lojan. “Previous Trucks of Art are still on collection routes in all five boroughs, and we are thrilled to be adding five more to our fleet this spring.”

Full details for the Trucks of Art project, including submission information is available in the Request for Expressions of Interest at nyc.gov/TruckArt. Those interested in applying should fill out an application, including design mock-ups, and submit via the online application. Selected artists will be paid a stipend of up to $1,500 by the Sanitation Foundation.

“The Sanitation Foundation is proud to partner with DSNY on Trucks of Art 2026, a program that brings artists, communities, and Sanitation workers together in a highly visible and meaningful way,” said Pam Harris, President of the Sanitation Foundation. “These trucks carry more than waste – they carry stories of creativity, sustainability and civic pride across all five boroughs.”

All applications must be submitted by Sunday, February 8, 2026, at 11:59pm. The Department and the Sanitation Foundation, along with special guests, will choose the finalists. Paint will be provided, and trucks will be painted in April.

Non-artistic New Yorkers can also be involved. The Department is asking residents to support this initiative by dropping off their unwanted paints (cans, sprays, tubes) at the Department’s Special Waste Drop-off Locations. Artists will select the paints they’ll need, and the rest will be recycled or properly disposed.

This is the Department’s third iteration of the Trucks of Art program; trucks were previously painted in 2019 and 2022.