Pg. 28 040314 (BW)

RT04032014

TIMES, THURSDAY, APRIL 3, 2014 • 28 Mail Woes, Sanitation Gripes Vented At JPCA Meeting In Midville DSNY Compost Program Arrives Locally This June delivered to portions of Maspeth and Middle Village approximately two weeks after the Glendale distribution. Two areas of Middle Village are participating in the pilot project. The northern area is generally bounded by the CSX rail line on the west; Juniper Boulevard North, 80th Street and Furmanville Avenue on the south; Woodhaven Boulevard and the Long Island Rail Road Main line on the east; and the Long Island Expressway on the north. The southern Middle Village area bounded by Metropolitan and Cooper avenues between 73rd Place and 80th Street is also included in the pilot program. The Maspeth section is generally bounded by Calamus and Maurice avenues on the north; the Long Island Expressway; 66th Street; Brown Place and 68th Street on the west; Eliot Avenue on the south; and the CSX rail line on the east. Afterward, the Sanitation Department will deliver outdoor bins and starter kits to participating residences. One- and two-family homes will receive a 13-gallon brown outdoor bin; apartment houses will get a 21-gallon brown outdoor container. Sanitation Department officials noted at previous meetings the cans have locking lids and ridges specifically designed to keep out rodents and other critters. The bins do not have to be lined, but the Sanitation Department noted paper bags or compostable liners may be used. All starter kits include a small, plastic bin to store food waste in the kitchen, a detailed brochure about the program and coupons. Starter kits will be provided to each unit in the small apartment houses. The Sanitation Department is scheduled to deliver the bins and kits in Glendale between May 27 and June 6, and in Maspeth and Middle Village between June 9 and 17. Collections will begin in Glendale on June 2 and in Maspeth and Middle Village on June 16. Participants in the program can place food scraps, food-soiled paper (such as napkins or used coffee filters) or yard waste in the outdoor bins and leave them on the curb for their normal recycling collection day. Launched last year in Brooklyn and Staten Island, the organics collection program aims to encourage composting and reduce the amount of garbage the city exports every year. Deputy Sanitation Commissioner Ron Gonen stated during January’s Board 5 meeting the city spends $336 million annually to ship out garbage; approximately $85 million is spent to export organic waste. Much of the organic waste collected by the DSNY will be converted at local processing centers into compost for reuse in public parks and gardens. The pilot program reportedly runs through July 2015 and, depending on its effectiveness, may be expanded citywide and become a mandatory program. Anyone who does not receive bins and/or starter kits should visit www.nyc.gov/wasteless/contact or call 311 one week after the scheduled delivery. Any unused recycling bins left out by property owners will be collected by the Sanitation Department. For more information, visit www.nyc.gov/organics. -CONTINUED FROM PG. 3- post offices” in the Flushing district, Holden said. “Now our mail goes to Brooklyn for processing, and from there it gets distributed.” “Sometimes it sits in Brooklyn for more than a week,” he added. Holden said the JPCA is considering sending out future Juniper Berry issues via second class shipping—a cheaper, but more restrictive, bulk mail alternative. The civic president charged the organization and residents would not experience such mail problems if the quasi-government agency were operated more like a for-profit business. “They’re not run like a business; they’re run like a government agency,” Holden added. “They should run like a business, because they’d make money.” Venting over garbage The Sanitation Department’s Haley Rogers came to explain the organics collection pilot program about to launch in parts of Maspeth and Middle Village—but wound up getting an earful from residents frustrated with the agency’s performances and related issues. Rogers stated the voluntary initiative—in which residents separate food waste, food-stained paper products and yard waste from traditional garbage—will help reduce the city’s waste stream and costs incurred to export garbage. Of the $330 million spent by the city annually to ship out its trash, she claimed, about one-third of the cost is dedicated toward eliminating organic waste. Further details about the composting program can be found in Plane Hit By Laser In Elmhurst Glendale Upset Over New Utility Poles Let Us Help Your Business Grow! Advertise In The Times Newsweekly! Call 1-718-821-WE’RE ON TWITTER @timesnewsweekly 7500 To Get A Quote! ground. “Laser incidents are often viewed as harmless. This couldn’t be further from the truth,” said FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge George Venizelos. “Our paramount concern is the safety of aircraft passengers, and we are asking anyone who knows anything to contact us.” Hoping to raise public awareness and catch those responsible, the FBI has launched a targeted regional reward program. A $10,000 reward is being offered to the individual who provides information leading to the arrest of those involved in last Tuesday’s laser incident. The ongoing investigation is being conducted by the Joint Terrorism Task Force, a collaboration between the FBI and various federal, state and city law enforcement agencies. Persons with information about the incident that could prove helpful are asked to call the FBI at 1-212- 384-1000; all calls will be kept confidential. -CONTINUED FROM PG. 2- the article on Page 3. But while Rogers touted its positive aspects, others in attendance questioned the initiative’s effectiveness and, in general, the Sanitation Department’s operations. “I think the city should get out of this juvenile mode” of doing business, said Daniel Trembinski. He suggested the Sanitation Department sell its unused incinerators to private companies, which can use modern technology to burn trash and convert it into energy. “Do mass burning, turn that trash into energy and actually do something productive for people, not waste our money on gimmicks and more things we have to worry about,” he added. Another resident suggested the Sanitation Department’s recycling program encourages scavengers to trespass onto private property and sift through cans in search for bottles and cans. Rogers stated the Sanitation Department tries to combat this by pursuing beverage distributors who pay the nickel deposit for bottles from the illegal scavengers. Holden, however, suggested the way to eliminate the scavengers is by rewriting the state bottle bill. Instead of redeeming five-cent deposits, he suggested the deposits be used to hire the collectors as sanitation workers. “It’s a waste of human energy. That energy could be put to better use by cleaning the street,” he said. “I’m willing to pay that nickel per bottle or can to hire these people to go out and clean the streets.” Scavengers seen on private property should be reported to 911 immediately, Holden added, as trespassing is a crime. Several residents also bemoaned the fact that participating in the program would mean more trash sorting—and having a fourth waste pail to put on their curb. The city already requires the placement of regular garbage, plastics/metal/glass and paper products in separate receptacles. Others in attendance publicly railed against a City Council proposal to institute a 10-cent tax on paper and plastic grocery bags used by shoppers. The bill is aimed at encouraging consumers to use tote bags or reusable shopping bags. Saving money on energy A few minor changes in homes can mean major savings on utility bills, according to Lee Parker of Franklin Energy, who offered a host of tips on how homeowners can reduce their energy consumption. Attaching a thermostatic radiator valve onto steam-powered heaters can help control room temperature while also reduce the amount of steam and gas used by boilers, he noted. Affixing aerators to showerheads and faucets can ensure both moderate water flow while also reducing the volume of water used. Parker added switching from incandescent to CFL (compact fluorescent) or LED (light-emitting diode) bulbs will help reduce both energy consumption and electric bills. Though the CFL or LED bulbs are more costly upfront, they last longer and provide as much light as incandescent bulbs while using less electricity. Switching light bulbs can save consumers up to $82 per year, while adding aerators can cut water bills by -CONTINUED FROM PG. 3- Lee Parker of Franklin Energy provided tips on saving money and energy during last Thursday’s Juniper Park Civic Association meeting in Middle Village. (photo: Lee Rottenberg) more than $200 annually, Parker added. Consumers can save further by shopping for power with electric supply providers. Con Edison Solutions, a division of the utility company which maintains the city’s electric infrastructure, is the default supply provider for most New York City residents, charging on average about 15 cents or more per kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity used per month. Parker said consumers can seek other power supply providers serving New York City to see if a better deal is available. However, he cautioned residents to avoid joining any provider that may attempt to pressure clients into making long-term commitments. * * * The next Juniper Park Civic Association meeting is scheduled to take place on Thursday, Apr. 24, at 7:45 p.m. at Our Lady of Hope School, located at Eliot Avenue and 71st Street in Middle Village. For information, call 1-718-651-5865 or visit www.junipercivic.com. poles and hang wires, and we had no input in the process.” But the driveway poles may go the way of dial-up Internet, according to Community Board 5 District Manager Gary Giordano. In speaking with representatives of the Public Service Commission—which oversees utility operations in New York State—he learned Verizon may be moving regular phone lines out of the driveways and onto the streets. Such a switch would affect many areas of Glendale, Middle Village and other local neighborhoods which have attached homes sharing community driveways. “There apparently have been numerous problems where people wouldn’t grant Verizon workers access to a community drive to do whatever work needed to restore phone service,” Giordano told the Times Newsweekly. However, a Verizon spokesperson stated on Tuesday, Apr. 1, that “it is unlikely that anything would be moved off of them anytime soon” since the company “has facilities and equipment on those backyard poles that serve customers, and those facilities and cables are connected to the rears of people’s homes.” The driveway poles are also used by other utility companies to service local residents and connect the area’s network, he added. -CONTINUED FROM PG. 6-


RT04032014
To see the actual publication please follow the link above