BROWNSVILLE, Brooklyn — Brigitte Vicenty goes door to door at the Brownsville houses and picks up the recyclables.
Vicenty says it’s more than just about picking up the the plastics, it’s about the people. She started her organization called the inner city green team over a decade ago.
“Some people want to but don’t know how that’s what we are here for,” said Vicenty.
Families get bags and just put them outside their door once a week. Vicenity and her team pick it up. Last year, she won an international competition and the city awarded her $20,000 to start her pilot program at the 27 buildings here at the Brownsville houses.
“All I needed was them to open the door a little bit and I kicked it down,” said Vicenty.
She means business. Since July 2018, her and her team have collected 16 tons of plastic, paper, metal, and glass. But she says her ultimate goal is to expand her program to all 320 plus nycha developments.
Vicente needs more funding and more volunteers. Right now, according to city’s own statistics, residents in NYCHA generate 133 million pounds of recyclables every year.
