South Brooklyn residents can expect to see cleaner streets and sidewalks after expanded sanitation services begin this week in District 48.
City Council Member Chaim Deutsch (D-Sheepshead Bay, Manhattan Beach, Brighton Beach, Homecrest, Midwood) along with the City Department of Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia Garcia announced the new services today on the corner of Sheepshead Bay Road and East 15th Street. They will include corner wastebasket collections seven days a week on commercial corridors, and extra trash cleanup by sanitation workers in heavy foot traffic areas, or areas known for illegal dumping.
“We as a city have to set a good example. If our corner litter baskets are overflowing, how could I go ask the store owners to make sure their store front is clean,” Deutsch said. “As a city we need to set an example and then we can hold accountable store owners.”
“When you have clean streets, when you have clean commercial areas, it attracts customers,” Deutsch added.
These business districts will now be receiving corner wastebasket collections every day:
- Avenue M
- Kings Highway
- Avenue U
- Sheepshead Bay Road
- Brighton Beach Avenue
- Neptune Avenue
Problem areas for dumping and litter that will now be receiving extra attention from the Department of Sanitation include:
- Under train trestles (from Avenue M to Avenue Z)
- Emmons Avenue pedestrian islands
- Sheepshead Bay Road pedestrian plaza
- Brighton Beach Avenue between Ocean Parkway and Brighton 16th Street
- Train path from West 5th Street to West 6th Street, across from West Brighton Avenue
Garcia said that the increased trash pickups are important for maintaining public health.
“There are more people here all the time. And at this time of year, there are a lot of people close to the water and near the beach, and we want to make sure that we’re keeping New York City clean and healthy and safe, and getting about it with the resources that we need,” Garcia said.
The expanded services will be paid for as part of the City Council’s $11 million cleanup initiative, as well as the $3.5 million in additional funding for the Sanitation Department coming from the De Blasio Administration this year. Deutsch played a key role in negotiating for those funds as part of the city’s Budget Negotiating Team.
“We have now 8.6 million residents in New York City, and we need to go with the population. More residents, more resources,” Deutsch said.
Deutsch said that throughout the remainder of the summer, he and his staff plan to visit businesses in his district to educate them about the necessity of maintaining clean store fronts. Deutsch said he will also be asking business owners to “adopt a can,” whereby they commit to replacing the garbage bags in full waste baskets on their street.
