Local Pols Targeting Sanitation Dept's Cash Cow
Of all the irritants that come with being a homeowner in Brooklyn, gratuitous tickets from the sanitation police may top the list. The current law holds property owners liable for the smallest candy wrapper (or soda can, like the one above that greeted us on our return from the airport yesterday) that any passerby decides…
Of all the irritants that come with being a homeowner in Brooklyn, gratuitous tickets from the sanitation police may top the list. The current law holds property owners liable for the smallest candy wrapper (or soda can, like the one above that greeted us on our return from the airport yesterday) that any passerby decides to drop on the sidewalk — and even up to 18 inches off the curb. Right now, the garbage police can write tickets (for anywhere from $50 to $250) for infractions between 8 and 9 in the morning and noon and one o’clock in the afternoon. (As you may recall, our respect for these civil servants was forever tarnished by an incident we had in Williamsburg a few years ago.) Given what a cash cow this policy is for the sanitation department, there has been great resistance to change. But now there are two bills in front of the City Council that seek to take at least some of the sting out of enforcement. The first bill, from David Yassky, would require a written warning for a first offense; if a second infraction were noted within 30 days, a fine would be levied. A second bill, from Simcha Felder, would push the mid-day ticketing hour to after 5 p.m. (but not include the first-offense warning). We thought it’d be interesting to see which of these options sounded more appealing, so please take a second to answer the poll below. Additionally, if you would like to show support for the first option, Yassky’s office has set up an online petition that’s pretty painless to fill out.
Be careful what you wish for. We had a city trash can appear on our (residential) corner early one morning. Not only was there trash scattered about from when they put the can down, but I also watched people in cars traveling by throw trash at the can, and miss it. Once a broken umbrella and a bag of trash were in it, there wasn’t much room for anything else. And that was in just one morning.
It didn’t help us at all and only made things worse, as one old-timer had told me the year before when I was thinking about requesting a trash can. Within 2 days, I requested that the city remove it (which they did within 2 days). I also requested that the city place one on a nearby commercial corner, which should be maintained all day anyway. Things are definitely better now.
Neither option is good. How about a warning before the ticket and only ticket before 7:30 am or after 7:30 pm (when us poor working slobs are actually home to take care of the litter. What we are supposed to train the dog or cat to go outside during the day and pick up trash)?
And while were at it, why do smoker seem to think that it’s OK to toss thier still glowing cig buts just about any where, like they are somehow not garbage that they (the smoker) needs to deal with?
In case anyone else was scratching there head at kim @ 9:41’s reference to a crying indian, I found that PSA on YouTube. Hahaha!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTpbRw2FiU4
That said, I have to agree that it seems obvious that these fines are pure and simple a means to raise funds, and they don’t necessarily seem to be working much to deter litter. Wish I had better ideas. Oh and I hate those stupid fliers, too!
ok jim
explain to me how i’m supposed to clean up my sidewalk while i’m at work.
should i quit my job?
My 2 cents.
Neither of these bills would do anything to improve the cleanliness of our nieghborhoods. We need better enforcement, not less enforcement. Trash on the street is a real problem. It contributes to unsanitary conditions, lowers property values, and adds to a sense of a neighborhood in decline. We need cleaner streets, not streets with more trash.
These same people have given me a ticket after I had swept up the sidewalk in front of our home and had not separated the filthy paper, flyers and blood stained tissues into the recycling can as I threw all the swept up garbage into the main garbage bag.
I asked this guy who had seen me doing my civic duty and sweep up the mounds of garbage that blows from the overflowing garbage cans on the corner of our block if he had the easiest job in the world as he can always find something to ticket when he needs to.
He answer, Yes.
A total abuse of the system!
Then there is the opposite happening…I called 311 to report a corner building in my neighborhood that is totally neglected–trash everywhere that simply begets more and bigger trash (people obviously think of it as a place to dump loads of debris)–and request a Sanitation Dept violation. When I phoned 311 back to follow up on the complaint they said someone went out the next day but no violation was issued. WHY? There is garbage and tree debris completely covering the entire sidewalk. It’s disgusting.
Re: Brower Park’s comments, yeah, that freaks me out – the casual dropping of garbage by people. The other day a car was double parked on my block waiting for somebody. A guy in the car casually threw out of his car window a syrofoam take-out container with rice and chicken all over the street. Guess he was cleaning up his car.
My friends in Mott Haven (BX) have told me that sanitation staff walk by EVERY DAY to ticket anyone with litter on the sidewalk in front of their house. very unfair.