Trash talk: What’s NYC doing about overflowing public litter baskets full of waste?

NYC litter baskets are meant to keep the Big Apple clean. But lately, many New Yorkers have spotted the containers overflowing with trash and surrounded by piles of garbage bags — causing concerns about the unsightliness and spread of filth.

As Mayor Eric Adams continues his war on rats with a focus on containerization of trash, some overstuffed public litter baskets around the city are blowing trash into streets and onto sidewalks, as piles of black plastic bags sit beside cans for days in neighborhoods citywide.

“At Pirate Park, the garbage cans are basically always overflowing, which is weird because a lot of people leave their Dunkin’ cups and pizza boxes right on the benches two feet away from garbage cans,” said Mike Sabatino while describing a park on Staten Island.

A Queens commuter said he notices garbage cans in Woodside are “rarely” empty.

“There is a lot of activity in this area due to bus stops and train stations,” a 7 train rider in Woodside said. “There’s always large piles of trash bags here. Today I saw a homeless man sitting on top of them asking for money.”

Black garbage bags sat next to several full litter baskets near NYC streets, including this one on Seventh Avenue in the West Village.Photo by Barbara Russo-Lennon

The Department of Sanitation (DSNY) has about 23,000 litter baskets on street corners in NYC. While most are in acceptable condition, amNewYork observed several on two recent Saturdays that were overstuffed with trash or vandalized with paint and graffiti.

Some, including two in Woodside, were piled high with household items, such as broken appliances, likely put there by people hoping passersby or DSNY would pick them up.

A spokesperson for the agency explained that it is illegal to place items such as this in or next to public litter baskets.

“It is absolutely illegal for a resident or business to place a bag of trash next to a litter basket,” the spokesperson explained. “These baskets are for walking trash only, like coffee cups and candy wrappers. Anything else is prohibited, and anyone caught leaving household or residential trash in or next to a litter basket could be fined.”

Other litter baskets were overflowing with trash and food, including one in Bushwick, where plastic cups were placed on top of the bin. Another overstuffed bin in Woodside was so full with trash, that food and debris spilled out and blew into the street.

Two litter baskets in the West Village were in similar condition, with trash filled to the brim.

Meanwhile, Mayor Adams is on a mission to eradicate rats in NYC, mostly recently by gassing them to death in their burrows under city trees. The $877,000 investment strategy, announced on June 22, has come under fire from animal rescuers in the city.

Amanda Lullo, a squirrel and small animal rescuer on Staten Island, told amNewYork last month that the strategy is cruel, and rat control should start with changes in human behavior, not by killing animals.

“The problem is garbage in the streets, not the rats,” she said. “People have to stop throwing their food and garbage on the streets. Rats serve a purpose in the ecosystem, too.”

Garbage pokes from the top of a vandalized litter basket in Bushwick, Brooklyn.Photo by Barbara Russo-Lennon

DSNY: Responding to problem locations ‘in real time’

So far this year, New Yorkers have only made 100 complaints to 311 about overflowing litter baskets, but the DSNY says it is responding to such reports immediately in an effort to keep city streets as clean as possible.

“Overflowing baskets are tracked closely by this data-driven agency, and we respond to problem locations in real time,” the DSNY spokesperson said.

In a bustling city home to more than 8 million people, it is likely challenging to keep all public litter baskets empty at all times. The frequency of litter basket service can depend on the location.

“Some are emptied on regular residential trash routes, some are emptied multiple times a day, and some council members fund supplemental basket service with their discretionary funds,” the DSNY spokesperson explained. “Many Business Improvement Districts will bag up the trash from a litter basket and leave the bag next to the basket for DSNY to pick up. This will soon be against city rules. Business Improvement Districts will be required to place these bags in a container or bring them to another location.”

More black trash bags and household items next to a litter basket in Queens.Photo by Barbara Russo-Lennon

DSNY is not the only agency that manages litter baskets in NYC. In fact, NYC Parks has around 30,000 receptacles in and around city parks. Parks trash receptacles are emptied at least once a day, according to the agency, though some in more heavily used areas are emptied multiple times a day.

“NYC Parks staff work daily to keep our parks and greenspaces free of trash and debris, from emptying trash cans to picking up litter from our shared spaces,” a NYC Parks spokesperson said.

NYC Parks also introduced a new rule that increases the penalties for illegal dumping on park property. The new penalties for illegal dumping have increased from $1,000 to $5,000 for the first offense and an added $10,000 fine for each subsequent violation within a 12-month period.

Other agencies, such as the NYC Department of Transportation, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and the MTA also have trash cans located throughout the city within their respective properties.

While Adams continues the war on rats, DSNY has implemented several strategies recently to help contain trash, including rules launched last year requiring curbside trash to be containerized. In May, the mayor also committed over $32 million in permanent funding for DSNY to keep the city clean.

Historically, cleanliness programs like litter basket service were set year-to-year, with funding facing threats and uncertainty each year, but with this allocation, the Adams administration is establishing “permanent high levels of funding to protect the cleanliness and quality of life of city neighborhoods for generations to come,” a May 8 press release from the mayor stated.

Last month, Manhattan Community Board 9 in West Harlem became the first NYC neighborhood to reach 100% trash containerization.

City officials said rat sightings reported to 311 have dropped since residential container requirements went into effect seven months ago.

Also Read : https://www.amny.com/oped/op-ed-nyc-domestic-violence-brain-injury-bill/