City trash pickup gets funding boost
BY ARIAMA C. LONG
It’s time to take out the
trash in New York City!
The Sanitation Department,
after struggling last
year with devastating cuts to
resources and this winter’s
harsh storms, will be getting
a little help in picking up after
its city’s residents, said Mayor
Bill de Blasio in his morning
briefi ng on March 30.
De Blasio said starting
Wednesday, there would be a
signifi cant increase in funding
for litter basket collection,
along with over 100 additional
sanitation trucks for waste
management, and the restoration
of Sunday pickups.
The mayor delighted in
also announcing a new partnership
bringing community
cleanup vans for organizations
and residents that want
to do their own cleanups. A big
part of the cleanup efforts will
be providing these organizations
with a “green van” service
that has tools like bags,
brooms, and dustpans, on
hand for them to use.
“This has been an issue
we’ve heard about from community
6 COURIER LIFE, APRIL 2-8, 2021
members all over the
city, everyone understood we
went through a tough, tough
time during the pandemic and
resources were tight,” said de
Blasio. “Now we’re focusing
on some of the things community
members have talked to
us about the most.”
Hizzoner referred to the
“perfect storm” of circumstances
during the pandemic
that led to the city bearing the
overwhelming effects of slashes
to the sanitation budget. “We
went through a moment unlike
anything any of us has experienced
in our lives, where all of
the underpinnings of society
were being stripped simultaneously,”
he said.
City Sanitation Commissioner
Edward Grayson said
that department was “excited”
to be back out in force with
more resources, and boasted a
new program called the Precision
Cleaning Initiative.
“These are targeted borough
based teams that will go
out to address those quality
of life concerns, illegal dumping
and other eyesore conditions
that we’ve seen as we’ve
progressed through the pandemic,”
said Grayson. “This
new team will help us be even
more nimble as we answer the
call for recovery for everyone.
We’re very excited about
spring cleaning.”
Grayson also lent his
thanks to community cleanup
groups across the Five Boroughs
for their critical work in
keeping New York City clean.
A bevy of local lawmakers
praised the support of the department,
including Bronx
Assemblymember Latoya
Joyner, who has been active in
pushing for additional trash
pickup in her district.
“We know how the environment
impacts not only
our physical health, but our
mental health as well,” said
Joyner.
Joyner said she received
numerous complaints and
calls about “unbearable”
trash build up. Complaints
also piled up in City Councilmember
Justin Brannan’s
southern Brooklyn district.
Brannan — who is currently
running for reelection
against a Republican challenger
— said the absolute
need for trash pickup among
other basic quality of life services
may be the one unifying
factor left in American politics
these days.
“Basic quality of life services,
it defi nitely took a big
hit due to the COVID budget
cuts, and these were cuts that
every neighborhood felt literally
overnight,” said Brannan.
“A clean and safe community
is truly the foundation for everything
else so this is yet another
great sign that New York
City is coming back strong.”
Brannan added the the
city’s Sanitation workers have
very “thankless” jobs and said
he hopes this funding will
make their lives easier.
After a year of budget cuts and bad winter storms, the city is boosting
funding for the Sanitation Department to help clean up the Big Apple.
REUTERS/Brendan McDermid