10 Fun Facts About CITIBIN

10 Fun Facts About CITIBIN

While in our 10th year in business, the team at CITIBIN has been spending a lot of time reminiscing. We got together to compile some fun facts and interesting stats.

In no particular order:

1. CITIBIN is a woman-owned brand: If you thought a brand that creates functional and attractive garbage enclosures, outdoor planters, and package containers must have been created by a man, you’d be mistaken. Ready for another fascinating fact? CITIBIN founder and CEO Liz Picarazzi also founded a woman-owned handyman company called Checklist Handyman Services. She sold that business to focus on creating the best trash enclosure that ever was. Liz is an expert at seeing overlooked needs and making products that address them. (She also really loves jumpsuits. Look for her on social media using hashtag #jumpsuitliz).
2. CITIBIN is NYC-based with global inspiration: If you look at the sleek design of CITIBIN trash enclosures and visual identity of the brand, you’ll notice the worldly attitude and vibe. Though Brooklyn is currently Liz’s home, she spent much of the 1990s working in Russia and Ukraine on United States democracy assistance programs. But she’s not the only globetrotter on the CITIBIN team. Carla Tortoledo, CITIBIN’s Operations/Production Manager enjoys traveling to China to meet with CITIBIN’s manufacturer for product development and improvements. And here’s one more fun fact - Most of the CITIBIN team is from a small city in Venezuela and went to the same primary/secondary school together.
3. CITIBIN is an eco-friendly brand: At CITIBIN, we like to think that every day is Earth Day. Not only do our bins help sort trash, recycling, and compost, but our cladding boards are made of bamboo and recycled plastic composite. You may already be familiar with this type of material from your outdoor deck, and it’s popular for a reason. They are low maintenance and just need a seasonal power wash, like a deck. Buying a durable enclosure is green. Buying an enclosure that needs to be replaced is not.  
4. Rats hate us: Speaking of our chic pest-proof designs, everyone loves us. Well, nearly everyone. Rats who use city spaces as their al fresco dining spots seem to be the only creatures who don’t love CITIBINs. To show off our rat-proof design, we created a video where #PizzaRat tries to make its way into a CITIBIN. Spoiler alert: CITIBIN won!

5. CITIBIN is an A-List fave: We would never kiss and tell, but we can hint a bit about some of our more famous clients. While some people can be clueless about CITIBINs, we have quite a celebrity following. From tech titans to stars of the big and small screen, we have some really famous fans. Here’s a fun clip of Bravo TV’s Andy Cohen declaring war on his neighbor’s trash, and then thanking CITIBIN for rescuing him!

6. We’re a true family business: On April 20, 2022, NYC Mayor Eric Adams held a press conference in Times Square to announce trash containerization was coming to all 5 boroughs. The CITIBIN fam was at his side. It was a huge milestone for the team, was covered by worldwide media, and put us and our bins on the map. It was an especially memorable moment for Liz and her husband Frank Picarazzi (CITIBIN’s COO) who were joined by their 16-year-old daughter for the big day. 
7. CITIBIN gets rid of the guesswork: Something we’ve heard over and over during the past decade is that CITIBIN makes things easy. Whether you need it for your brownstone or want to outfit an entire Business Improvement District, we’ll help you out every step of the way. Our proposals are comprehensive, showing you exactly what you get and how much it costs. 
8. See us on the Great White Way: While you won’t see actual CITIBIN trash sheds on the Broadway stage anytime soon, we do have a partnership with the Times Square Alliance. As of CITIBIN’s 10^th anniversary, we've installed 48 CITIBINs in Times Square and 250 in other Business Improvement Districts in and out of New York.
9. We’re great for composting too! If the only thing you know about CITIBIN is our amazing trash enclosures, you’ve missed the memo about our planters, or our combo trash, parcel bin, and mailbox units. In the coming months, we’ll be piloting CITIBINs in additional cities to be announced. Here’s a sneak peek: We’re especially excited about the composting pilot in Boston.
10. Next up, grizzlies: Bear with us for a moment, as we share some exciting news. It isn't only rodents who hate us. CITIBIN trash enclosures are bear-resistant, making it tougher for bears to nosh on your leftovers..