Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
For cleaner streets, NYC Council members take matters into their own hands
By
Sophia Chang
Published Nov 11, 2022
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Sophia Chang
Published Nov 11, 2022
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
New York City’s endless battle against street garbage is gaining momentum.
More than a third of the City Council’s members have dipped into their discretionary funds – money typically used to fund nonprofit organizations – to clear out overflowing garbage bins on sidewalks in their districts this year. This year, Council members have spent at least $1.7 million of their discretionary funds to boost local cleanup initiatives.
That’s on top of the $22 million for extra street basket service citywide included in the Sanitation Department’s $1.9 billion budget in July. On Thursday, Mayor Eric Adams announced another $4.9 million for additional street basket service near bridges and city parks as part of a major city cleanup campaign.
The extra funding appears to be improving the amount of trash on the streets, as measured by data from 311, the city’s hotline for complaints.
From July 1 to Nov. 6, New Yorkers made 533 complaints to 311 about overflowing street garbage cans – a 55% drop compared to the same period last year, when there were 1,180 such complaints, according to the Sanitation Department.
“The most frequent complaint that we get in our office is around trash, and the unacceptable sanitation conditions that we have across our community and frankly, the city as a whole,” said Councilman Lincoln Restler, who allocated $30,000 to the Department of Sanitation to clean street bins more frequently in his downtown Brooklyn district.
In Hell’s Kitchen and Chelsea, 311 complaints dropped by 88% after this year’s budget increase and after Councilman Erik Bottcher allocated $54,100 in discretionary funds to the Sanitation Department for extra truck routes to empty out litter baskets.
But street garbage has persisted in other ways in his district, Bottcher said.
“Most of the time when we have an overflowing corner basket, it's a result of illegal dumping when someone takes a bag of their residential trash and puts it into the corner basket,” said Botcher. “It causes that basket to overflow very quickly.”
Bottcher said the Sanitation Department should prioritize enforcement and street bin pickups across the whole city as a basic quality of life measure.
Garbage generated by visitors to Pelham Bay Park in the Bronx and shoppers along the commercial corridor on White Plains Road led Councilwoman Marjorie Velázquez to allocate $70,000 for extra street bin service in her district.
Using her discretionary funds for additional Sanitation service makes sense for her communities but might not be a good use for other districts, she said.
“We have a limited budget for the city overall, and certainly, different neighborhoods have different needs,” Velázquez said.
Some business owners across the city said the increased funding is just a start — and want more trash bins and even more frequent collections to keep streets free from litter.
“There's never enough of the garbage cans being cleaned out. I mean, Sanitation comes every day, but it's still not enough,” said Mitchell Szpicek, owner of Little Things Toy Store in Park Slope. He said he’s constantly cleaning up trash in front of his store.
“You can sweep here and then an hour or two later, you have debris all over again,” Szpicek said.
With the mayor's order to cut the budget for every city agency by 3% this year, some elected officials worry they’ll fall back on the recent progress with clearing out bins.
“The Council fought hard for $22 million for twice per day, six times per week basket service,” said Councilwoman Sandy Nurse, who chairs the Sanitation Committee. “This is not a base-lined program and it was due to the Council fighting for it. The city absolutely should make this a regular program that we don’t have to fight for every year.”
Tagged
sanitation
new york city
new york city council
trash
environment
Sophia Chang
Sophia Chang is a former WNYC and Gothamist reporter.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
The long battle over Elizabeth Street Garden is over. Mamdani touts new housing plan.
Developers have dropped their lawsuit against the city for changing course on a relatively small housing proposal that came to symbolize a larger fight over development.
By
David Brand
Published Aug 13, 2026 at 6:53 p.m. ET
Advocates say Mayor Mamdani's NYPD isn't curbing broken-windows policing
The mayor has backed off calls to defund the police. Advocates say the NYPD under Mamdani and Commissioner Jessica Tisch is still focusing too much on low-level crimes.
By
Ben Feuerherd
News
Advocates say Mayor Mamdani's NYPD isn't curbing broken-windows policing
The mayor has backed off calls to defund the police. Advocates say the NYPD under Mamdani and Commissioner Jessica Tisch is still focusing too much on low-level crimes.
By
Ben Feuerherd
If Luigi Mangione pleads guilty in federal court, here’s what lawyers say may happen next
By
Samantha Max
NYC pedicab bill looks to pump the brakes on rides that can cost tourists $1K
By
Charles Lane
Tenant groups intervene to save Mamdani's rent freeze after landlord challenge
By
David Brand
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .