Reynoso Leads Bklyn Pols Supporting Reform Of Waste Collection
City Council Member Antonio Reynoso (Bushwick, Williamsburg), Chair of the Council’s Committee on Sanitation and Solid Waste Management, yesterday declared his support for the de Blasio Administration’s report and intention to develop an implementation plan for reform of the private sanitation industry over the next two years.
Currently, about 100 private carters pick up trash from commercial businesses, with no rational process to assign routes and little oversight of labor standards. A commercial waste collection zone system would divide the city into several geographic zones and assign private carters to serve businesses within each zone through a competitive bidding process, based on which companies can offer the best price to small businesses and meet the City’s high standards for recycling, sustainability, and labor practices.
Among the most encouraging findings of the study was that establishing commercial waste collection zones could reduce truck traffic associated with commercial waste collection by 49 to 68 percent and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 42 to 64 percent.
“Since I’ve been overseeing the private carting industry as Chair of the Council’s Committee on Sanitation, I’ve referred to it as the ‘wild, wild west’ because it is inefficient and unregulated,” said Reynoso. “A collection zone system will give us the opportunity to promote sustainability, improve worker safety, get dangerous trucks off the streets, and in general improve what is now a very problematic industry. I look forward to working with DSNY, businesses, industry representatives, and advocates to create an implementation plan that will transform our current system into a sustainable model for the future.”
The plan also has the support of several other Brooklyn lawmakers.
“Our restaurants, offices, and businesses generate 5.5 million tons of waste each year, and most of that ends up in landfills and incinerators. And every day, the city’s commercial waste workers are put into harm’s way because their employers fail to implement basic safety measures. We can do better,” said Council Member Brad Lander (Parks Slope, Windsor Terrace, Kensington). “This report shows that a collection zone system would increase commercial waste recycling rates, improve job quality in the sector, reduce emissions and create smarter, more efficient truck routes. Thank you to Mayor de Blasio and Chair Reynoso for their attention to this issue.”
“It may be a complicated issue, but the benefits are clear,” said Council Member Stephen Levin (Northern Brooklyn). “Fewer trucks snarling traffic, less emissions polluting our air, and lower waste collection costs for small businesses. This study shows that being green and saving money are not mutually exclusive. More and more we are seeing that we can actually save money while protecting our environment, especially in traditionally underserved communities.”
“I want to thank Council Member Reynoso for fighting to ensure that the Mayor’s plan comprehensively address the concerns of our communities to have fresh air to breathe and safe streets to walk and ride our bicycles,” said Council Member Carlos Menchaca (Red Hook, Sunset Park). “The Mayor’s plan to develop commercial waste zones is much needed and will require each of our neighborhoods to get involved to keep everyone accountable.”
Williams Commemorates International Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition
City Council Member Jumaane D. Williams (Flatbush, East Flatbush, Midwood) released the following statement yesterday in regards to the International Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition, which is commemorated every Aug. 23.
“The Atlantic Slave Trade will forever be a time in history that is undeniably significant in American culture. For more than three and a half centuries, men, women, and child were forcibly transported in bondage from their African motherland to the Americas. This forever changed the face and character of the modern world. The slave trade was brutal and horrific, and the enslavement of Africans was cruel, exploitative, and dehumanizing. Together, they represent one of the longest and most sustained assaults on the life, integrity, and dignity of human beings in our history.
“Today is about paying tribute to all those who fought for freedom. It is also a day to reflect and use as encouragement in for the fight against all forms of servitude, racism, prejudice, racial discrimination and social injustice that are a legacy of slavery. It should also serve as a reminder that many of the problems in communities made up of descendants of slaves are not mere coincidences, but consequences born out of this horrible time in history. I say this not as an excuse from personal responsibility, but to interweave it with a shared starting point, from which to help provide solutions.
“I call on all New Yorkers, and Americans in joining forces to support and spread the principles of freedom equality and equity. That need is even more prevalent with such divisive messages being not only spewed, but also received, on a national political stage as acceptable political discourse in a way we have not seen in decades. It is imperative that we recommit to the hard work it takes to live together in our multicultural societies, and continue to fight against contemporary forms of slavery, of which millions are still the victims of.”
Cuomo Announces AmeriCorps Funding
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo yesterday announced that the state has received more than $6 million in competitive AmeriCorps funding to support 18 non-profit organizations that promote children’s health and education, work to reduce poverty and expand economic opportunity in their communities.
Among the organizations receiving funding include several in Brooklyn. The New York State Commission on National & Community Service – New Yorkers Volunteer will administer the funding.
“Eliminating poverty in New York State is a priority, and by investing in initiatives that create opportunity for economic growth, we move steadily closer to achieving that goal,” said Cuomo. “This funding will strengthen these agencies’ impact on the communities they serve and will help to transform the lives of New Yorkers across the state.”
Awarded through a Request for Proposal process, the funding will enable the 18 non-profit organizations to implement or continue programs designed to combat poverty and reduce inequality through a number of avenues that were promoted in Cuomo’s State of the State agenda. This includes working to improve academic achievement, expand access to health care services and restore urban green spaces.
“These local organizations strengthen our communities by expanding economic opportunity and better meeting the health and social service needs of some of our most vulnerable neighbors,” said Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez (Downtown Brooklyn, Sunset Park).
“I’m pleased to see additional resources allocated to these groups, particularly agencies like Yeshiva Kehilath Yaakov, Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation and Grand Street Settlement,” she added.
Thompson, NYPD Host Gun Buy Back Day
Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson and the NYPD are hosting a Gun Buyback event this coming Saturday to help people dispose of unwanted guns that they possess in exchange for cash. No questions will be asked and no ID required from those who turn in their guns.
“Saturday’s Gun Buyback is one component of our efforts to rid Brooklyn’s streets of illegal firearms. With law enforcement and community working together, we make our communities safer. I encourage anyone with an unwanted gun to take advantage of this important initiative,” said Thompson.
Participants will receive $200 for operable handguns and assault rifles and $25 for operable shotguns and rifles. Participants may turn in an unlimited number of guns, but will receive a limit of $600 in bank cards. No identification is required and the firearms will be accepted with no questions asked.
The bank cards will be issued after each unloaded gun is received and screened by officers on-site. Guns should be unloaded and packaged in a paper or plastic bag or box when brought to the event. Both working and inoperable weapons will be accepted. Active and/or retired law enforcement officers and licensed gun dealers are not eligible for this event.
The NYPD, pairing with local DA’s offices, has taken about 10,000 guns off the street via gun buyback events since 2008.
The gun Buyback is slated for between 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., Saturday Aug. 27 at the Clarendon Road Church, 3304 Clarendon Road in Flatbush.
