08B — Garbage receptacles without tight lids / grinder encrusted
Open garbage and a filthy refuse area feed and attract every pest you're trying to keep out, and the smell and grime are an obvious tell to an inspector. The rule wants tight-fitting lids on all receptacles and the grinder/refuse area kept clean. It's a low-point General violation (2-5 points by number of cans), but it directly drives fly, roach, and rodent findings that score far higher, so it's worth staying on top of.
What the inspector looks for
Open every garbage can in and outside the kitchen: each must have a tight-fitting lid that actually closes. Look at the garbage grinder and the refuse/dumpster area for caked-on filth and grease. A lidless can, or a grease-encrusted refuse area, is the violation.
Points & grade impact
Cited at 2 points — 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 by number of cans across condition I-IV. NYC adds every cited violation’s points into one inspection score: 0–13 = A, 14–27 = B, 28+ = C.
How to fix it
Provide tight-fitting lids on all garbage receptacles; clean encrusted grinders and refuse areas.
How to prevent it
Use hard plastic or metal cans with tight lids and heavy-duty liners; keep enough cans for 3 days between pickups; wash receptacles and refuse areas regularly.
- ✓Use hard plastic or metal cans with tight lids and heavy-duty liners; keep the lids closed, not propped.
- ✓Have enough cans to hold about 3 days of refuse between pickups so nothing overflows.
- ✓Wash cans and hose down the refuse/dumpster area on a schedule before grease and filth build up.
- ✓Keep the dumpster lid shut and the corral clean — an open, greasy dumpster breeds flies and draws rats.
Reference: Health Code §81.24(a)
Will your kitchen get an A?
Run a free 5-minute self-audit across all 73 NYC violation codes and see your projected letter grade — before the inspector does.
Run a free self-audit