Business Districts Balk at Trash Container Rule, Citing Costs and Future Fines
Business improvement districts around the city are flipping their lids over a proposed rule they say would jeopardize their clean-up work on the city’s streets — and possibly even force some to stop their garbage pickup altogether.
The Department of Sanitation proposed a new rule for trash storage on December 30, specifically aimed at entities that sweep or clean sidewalks, plazas, and streets "for the purpose of supporting local businesses or communities." The new rule, which covers the city’s 75 business improvement districts, would require containers for garbage and banning bags of refuse being set out.
Leaders of some of the city’s BIDs — which tax businesses in their zones in exchange for supplemental services like trash collection — say complying with the rule would be too expensive and burdensome. They say they have limited space to put the containers, the requirements would necessitate more workers, and they’d fear hefty fines that could stretch their limited budgets — and haven’t been consulted in coming up with the rule.
The rule is the latest step in the city’s "trash revolution" to swap out unsightly mounds of trash — which attract rats and other vermin — for orderly and closed containers. The BIDs are in favor of that overall goal, but doubtful of the specifics on how to make it happen.
Clean Corners
While some BIDs tidy the trash and wait for DSNY to pick it up, others bring the trash to sanitation transfer sites themselves. They say to continue doing the transport, they will likely have to place some bags on the street.
The Downtown Brooklyn Partnership manages three BIDs and oversees trash removal along multiple bustling streets with 167 Big Belly garbage bins and 41 other corner cans. Two pickup trucks run five routes a day picking up trash to bring to the sanitation department’s depot in Gowanus — a trip that could take up to two hours and means bags could be left on street corners, resulting in fines, said Regina Myer, president of the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership.
Airing Concerns
A public hearing on the rule is scheduled for February 10, where BID leaders say they plan to share their concerns, before the rule takes effect August 1. BIDs and other entities have been meeting with DSNY ahead of the hearing.
James Ellis, who manages the North Flatbush Avenue BID in Brooklyn, said his board talked about ending garbage pickup altogether.
"It will lead to a few BIDs — if not many — ceasing operations programmatically around corner bins and sanitation," he said. "My board is certainly very seriously considering that decision process."
FAQs
Q: What is the proposed rule?
A: The proposed rule requires entities that sweep or clean sidewalks, plazas, and streets to use containers for garbage and bans bags of refuse being set out.
Q: Who is affected by the rule?
A: The rule covers the city’s 75 business improvement districts, which tax businesses in their zones in exchange for supplemental services like trash collection.
Q: What are the concerns of the BIDs?
A: BIDs say complying with the rule would be too expensive and burdensome, and fear hefty fines that could stretch their limited budgets.
Q: What is the goal of the "trash revolution"?
A: The goal is to swap out unsightly mounds of trash — which attract rats and other vermin — for orderly and closed containers.
Conclusion
The proposed rule has sparked concerns among business improvement districts, who say it will compromise their ability to keep the city’s streets clean and may even force some to stop their garbage pickup altogether. As the city moves forward with its "trash revolution," it’s clear that the rule will have far-reaching implications for the city’s business districts and the services they provide.
