Vallone Cheers Curbside E-Waste Collection To Eastern Queens
City Council Member Paul Vallone (D-Alley Pond Park, Bay Terrace, Bayside, College Point, Douglaston, East Elmhurst, Flushing, Fresh Meadows, Little Neck and Whitestone) today cheered the city’s Department of Sanitation announcement they are expanding curbside electronics collection to the Bronx and eastern Queens.
Residents can make an appointment for curbside collection of unwanted electronics items covered under the New York State electronics disposal ban. This announcement continues the expansion of the Department’s curbside electronics collection program, which is now available in all neighborhoods in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island and is just one of many options available to city residents.
The latest communities to be added to the expansion include all community boards in the Bronx, and Queens Community Boards 7,8,10,11,12,13 and 14. The curbside electronics collection program is available to residents of 1-9 unit buildings within the designated boroughs. Residents living in buildings with 10 or more units can enroll in ecycleNYC, a free, in-building e-waste collection program for large buildings.
To request an appointment, residents can call 311 or go to nyc.gov/electronics starting Monday, September 30th. Pickups will take place Monday through Friday, except city holidays. Items must be placed at the curb; Sanitation Workers cannot enter private property. After collection by Sanitation, Veolia Environmental Services and ERI remove the e-waste for proper and safe recycling.
Not all items with a plug are considered covered e-waste. Covered items include:
- Televisions (including cathode ray tubes)
- Computer peripherals, including any permanently attached cable or wiring
- Monitors, laptops
- Electronic keyboards
- Electronic mice and other pointing devices
- Fax machines, document scanners, and printers that are meant for use with a computer and weigh less than 100 lbs.
- TV peripherals, including any permanently attached cable or wiring
- VCRs
- Digital video recorders
- DVD players
- Digital converter boxes
- Cable or satellite receivers
- Electronic or video game consoles
- Small-scale servers
- Portable devices, including any permanently attached cable or wiring
- Portable digital music players
Other mostly plastic and metal items such as fans, toasters or vacuums are able to be placed with regular recycling.
“Expanding the Department’s e-waste curbside collection program will provide Northeast Queens residents with a convenient avenue to recycle their unwanted electronics and keep toxins out of New York landfills,” said Vallone. “This is an important change for my District’s senior and homebound residents, who, until now, were faced with the challenge of transporting these items to disposal events and drop-off sites. I thank Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia for her attention to this issue and I look forward to continued partnership with the Department in improving quality of life for all.”
Gillibrand Continues Push For National Family Paid Leave Act
U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) yesterday said a recent Data For Progress study shows broad bipartisan support for her Family and Medical Insurance Leave Act, or FAMILY Act.
The measure would create a universal, gender-neutral, national paid family and medical leave program, ensuring that workers can take up to 12 weeks of paid leave for a pregnancy, the birth or adoption of a child, recovery from a serious illness, or to care for a seriously ill family member.
“The study today from Data For Progress proves what we already knew – paid leave is a bipartisan issue and workers across the country overwhelmingly support national paid leave. This new report shows Americans specifically want the FAMILY Act that I have been championing for years – not paid leave in name only that uses social security benefits or only applies to new parents,” said Gillibrand.
“Every worker will have a family emergency or welcome a new baby into the family and need to take time off. Right now, our system leaves those workers out to dry causing them to lose wages when they need to take time off to care for a loved one. We should never have to make someone choose between a paycheck and their family. The FAMILY Act would solve this problem by making paid leave affordable and accessible to every worker, ensuring the support they need. With the support of voters on both sides of the aisle, it is time we bring the FAMILY Act up for a vote,” she added.
The proposed legislation would be funded through payroll contributions from employers and employees of two-tenths of 1% each (two cents per $10 in wages), or about $4 a week total, split between employers and employees.
Meng Floats Resolution Commemorating Mahatma Gandhi
U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-Bayside, Flushing, Forest Hills, Fresh Meadows, Glendale, Kew Gardens, Maspeth, Middle Village, Rego Park) yesterday announced that she has introduced a resolution in the House to commemorate the memory and legacy of civil rights and spiritual leader Mohandas “Mahatma” K. Gandhi on October 2.
The resolution supports the ideals and goals of the International Day of Non-Violence and calls on all Americans to observe it. International Day of Non-Violence is an annual observance that takes place every October 2 on Gandhi’s birthday. It was established on June 15, 2007 at the United Nations to spread the message of non-violence through education and public awareness.
“Mahatma Gandhi was a monumental civil rights and spiritual leader who demonstrated that peaceful protests can bring change, and we honor his legacy with a resolution that calls on all to recognize his important contributions to the world,” said Meng. “Our own civil rights heroes, like Dr. Martin Luther King, were influenced by Gandhi’s work and it is critical that we strive each day to change the world in a peaceful manner. I urge all Americans to join me in marking International Day of Non-Violence.”
Van Bramer Hails MTA’s Plan For Netting Under All Elevated Subway Structures
City Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Astoria, Long Island City, Sunnyside, Woodside) yesterday lauded the Metropolitan Transit Authority’s (MTA) recently passed capital spending plan which allocated $325 million to provide protective netting under all elevated subway structures.
The money and Van Bramer’s comments come following a series of accidents related to debris falling from the elevated 7 train line in Queens.
“I am relieved to see the MTA allocate $325 million in its capital plan to install protective netting under all elevated subway lines across New York City. This is a huge win after months of advocating with the community for improvements along the 7 train. The MTA’s capital plan is outlined for the next five years, but we must keep up the pressure to ensure that the netting is put up as soon as possible,” said Van Bramer.
“After at least seven consecutive incidents of dangerous falling debris, this situation still must be treated with urgent care until the safety of all New Yorkers is guaranteed. We are incredibly lucky that no one has been injured or killed so far,” he added.
