Waste solids (dredge spoil, rubble, sewage sludge, and industrial sludge) are dumped at six major disposal sites in New York Bight. Amounts of waste solids discharged increased between 1968 and 1975 although the number of individual disposal operations declined. At the various disposal sites, wastes can be detected by their black color, human artifacts, high carbon content (greater than 2% carbon), and metal content (high in silver, copper, chromium, and lead). In the axis of Hudson Channel, waste deposits locally are over 15 m (50 ft) thick and cover more than 150 sq km. The head of Hudson Channel has been filled by waste deposits. This physical alteration of the bottom has caused obvious changes in abundance and distribution of bottom-dwelling organisms. Accumulations of sewage sludges on the ocean bottom are associated with diseases in crustacea and fin erosion in certain bottom-dwelling fishes. Low dissolved oxygen concentrations occur in the disposal areas during late summer. Copyright (c) 1976 by New York Sea Grant Institute. (Color illustrations reproduced in black and white.)