Page 14 - The Indian EYE 021624

COMMUNITY OP-ED FEBRUARY 16, 2024 | The Indian Eye 14

A clean New York City: We are Getting

Every Single Trash Bag Off Our Streets

We have containerized trash for restaurants, delis, bodegas, bars, and grocery stores.
And, as of March 1, 2024, all businesses in New York City will have to put out their trash in containers.

By this fall, all buildings with one to nine residential units will need to containerize their trash as well

ERIC ADAMS

ew Yorkers deserve clean
streets, free of smelly trash
Nbags and rats. That’s why we
are taking the next leap forward in
the Trash Revolution — our initia-
tive to reimagine trash collection and
remove every single trash bag from
New York City’s streets.
When we came into office two
years ago, we had a mission: Protect New York City, which used to be known for its mean streets, will now be known for its clean streets (File photo)
public safety, revitalize the econo-
my, and make this city more livable
for hardworking New Yorkers. Our veloped this truck in a fifth of the trash, and we are providing the high- is leading the way, as we use proven
Trash Revolution is a key part of this time experts said it would take. est level of street litter basket service solutions that have been adopted in
mission, giving New Yorkers the We also announced the next ever for 23,000 baskets across our city. cities all over the world. Add it all up,
world-class sanitation services they stage of containerization: a full- By this fall, every single New and we will already have 70 percent
deserve. New Yorkers shouldn’t have scale pilot in Harlem’s Community Yorker in all five boroughs will have of New York City’s black bags off our
to hold their noses or dodge trash Board 9, expanding from our initial access to free, pain-free weekly curb- streets by this fall. This is the most
mountains as they walk home. 10-block pilot. This will be the first side compost collection. significant progress toward clean
Our administration is rejecting neighborhood in the city with zero We are cracking down on illegal streets that New Yorkers have seen
that status quo, and is delivering for black bags sitting on the street wait- dumping and stepping up enforce- in generations.
everyday New Yorkers. We are making ing for pickup. Rat sightings in those ment efforts. In fact, over the past fis- No one thought this would be
our streets cleaner by picking up trash 10 blocks fell by more than two-thirds cal year, we issued 24 percent more possible, but we are getting it done.
more efficiently and cracking down year-over-year. That represents real violations than the year prior. As a result, New York City, which
on illegal dumping across the city. progress, real fast. We have containerized trash for used to be known for its mean streets,
But we are just getting started. The strategies we are testing in restaurants, delis, bodegas, bars, and will now be known for our clean
Last week, we unveiled the proto- Harlem will make a huge difference grocery stores. And, as of March streets.
type of a new kind of garbage truck in some of our biggest and densest 1, 2024, all businesses in New York Rats are moving on and moving
that uses a mechanical arm to empty neighborhoods, helping us tackle City will have to put out their trash out. And our city is becoming more
trash from new, on-street containers, mountains of black bags at the source. in containers. By this fall, all build- livable than ever for everyday New
like those you might see in European Since our administration came ings with one to nine residential units Yorkers.
or Asian cities. This will allow us to into office, we have been making will need to containerize their trash
pick up New Yorkers’ trash quicker, history in the fight for cleaner streets. as well. Eric Adams is the Mayor of
cleaner, and smarter — and we de- We established later set out times for Here in America, New York City New York City, NY

www.TheIndianEYE.com