Republican mayoral candidate and Assemblymember Nicole Malliotakis (R-Bay Ridge, Staten Island), darted into Brooklyn today to trash the city’s mishandling of garbage collection.
Million dollar homes on 62nd Street in Dyker Heights face a sidewalk lined with used mattresses, garbage bags and discarded furniture. The bulk debris is presumed to have been left by residents who understand their routine sanitation pickups will not take their large garbage. Malliotakis called out the mayor’s organic collection policy as being the cause of the buildup of trash not only along 62nd Street, but in other neighborhoods throughout the boroughs.
“Out of frustration, I believe residents in this community are now dumping their larger items like mattresses and electronics and furniture here,” said Malliotakis.
In October, the Department of Sanitation of New York (DSNY) redesigned garbage trucks to accommodate the collection of organic materials in certain areas. The single-bin trucks were converted to dual-bin cabins therefore reducing the amount of non-organic waste that can be hauled away while putting a complete halt to bulk pickup. The city either responds to 311 complaints, or the request of surveyors, who monitor the area for long-standing, discarded bulk trash.
“Anyway you look at it, this is a flaw and this is a mistake that was made by our city in changing the rules and not keeping up with collection of bulk throughout the community,” said Malliotakis.
Malliotakis also brought up the dilemma most residents who occupy alleyway-facing homes have experienced since the introduction of the dual-bin system. These residents are no longer serviced by DSNY and instead are forced to carry garbage out to their adjoining neighbor’s property.
Many of the residents obligated to carry their trash to a main street are elderly, said Malliotakis.
While Malliotakis commended the work of DSNY employees, she emphasized, “They are under the direction of policies that are poor and not adequate. That’s what the problem is -– the decision that was made by the administration to change the way that garbage is picked up in this neighborhood.”
Long time resident, Susan Bagarozza, 60, said the street has been plagued with garbage and vagrants for the past five to six years but she has noticed an increase in bulk trash since last October.
“I guess they can’t fit this into the truck, I don’t know what the problem is,” said Bagarozza. “My son works for the sanitation department and he told me this stuff doesn’t fit in the truck anymore – because, I guess, half of it is full of food and the other half is just not big enough.”
“People come here and they dump everything –– you see tv’s, mattresses and furniture,” she added, noting that sanitation comes to pick up the discarded materials, but in 20 minutes the garbage is right back again.
Malliotakis made it clear that she’s in favor of the organics program but insists the overall collection must be revisited.
“We can keep those dual trucks that collect the garbage and the organics, but what I’m saying is, we also have to have a bulk truck simultaneously pick up the larger items,” said Malliotakis. “We can’t allow it to build up in the community, it looks like a third world country.”
A DSNY spokesperson responded to criticisms of the new dual-bin garbage vehicles saying all residents should place large (4 feet by 3 feet or larger) non-recyclable items out the night before their last garbage day.
“In neighborhoods that receive collection in a dual-bin truck, DSNY runs a separate bulk truck that will collect bulk items by the end of the day on Saturday. If the items are not collected by Sunday morning, residents may call 3-1-1 to report a missed collection,” the spokesperson said.
