Over the last year, New Yorkers have seen (and smelled) an uptick in the amount of trash on our streets (and the number of rats luxuriating in said trash) because of pandemic-related budget cuts. The city restored some garbage collection services last fall, but today, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced three new initiatives to try to better cleanse the streets of the city before everyone starts frolicking outside this summer.
"We think about what it means to give people an environment where they're ready to move forward, bring back jobs, build businesses, go back to their lives in so many ways. And spring is a perfect time to think about that kind of recovery, that kind of renewal, and spring also reminds us of spring cleaning—it's time for spring cleaning here in New York City," de Blasio said at a press conference on Tuesday morning. "We love our city, and we want it to be even more beautiful."
Starting tomorrow, the city will increase litter basket service by more than 100 trucks a week, and also restore Sunday litter basket pickups. To give you an idea of how bad things got last year, weekly street corner litter basket runs were cut by 63 percent last July, from 736 to 272, at the height of the city's pandemic budget crisis. The city added back about 65 litter basket runs each week in September.
Councilmember Justin Brannan talked about the importance and universal appeal of the initiatives. "Indeed, the need for trash pickup may be the one remaining thing that unifies us in all of American politics these days," he said. "Basic quality of life services took a big hit due to COVID budget cuts...a clean and safe community is truly the foundation for everything else, so this is another great sign that NYC is coming back strong."
The Department of Sanitation (DSNY) also announced a new program called the Precision Cleaning Initiative, in which targeted borough-based teams will address local quality-of-life concerns, including litter conditions, illegal dumping and overflowing trash baskets. Teams will be sent out based on DSNY field observations, 311 complaints, and referrals from city agencies and community groups.
Lastly, the Sanitation Department will launch a new Community Clean-Up Van for additional targeting of local trash issues. "We strongly encourage any community group to go to NYC.gov/sanitation and get involved," said DSNY commissioner Edward Grayson, who noted that they have doubled the amount of community cleanups in the last year.
Last summer, rat complaints to 311 increased over 50% after the city cut $106 million from the Department of Sanitation's operating budget because of the pandemic. The city didn't restore any of the services until September, after a coalition of business leaders wrote a letter to the mayor demanding he take "immediate action" to address "widespread anxiety over public safety, cleanliness and other quality of life issues that are contributing to deteriorating conditions in commercial districts and neighborhoods across the five boroughs."
That anxiety of cleanliness and its effect on local communities is something that resonated for Bronx Assemblymember LaToya Joyner, who said during today's press conference that her local neighborhoods began to look "unrecognizable" because of the increase in trash.
"We received many 311 complaints, calls, and emails about the deterioration in the community and trash buildup, and it became very overwhelming and at times unbearable," she said. "These critical services are deeply needed and deeply welcomed. We saw illegal dumping, overflowing trash bins, and many felt left behind and ignored."
As for the city's curbside organics (composting) program, DSNY spokesperson Joshua Goodman said it remains suspended through the next fiscal year. "In the meantime, we have been able to restore funding to over 100 community composting sites operating across the city, in all five boroughs. Residents can find their closest site at nyc.gov/dropfoodscraps, and that site also has info on how to become a site host as we continue to expand the community composting program."
