EAST NEW YORK, Brooklyn (PIX11) — New York City is writing more than four times as many citations during a push to crack down on illegal dumping. The city is also putting up cameras all over the city to catch people in the act.
Dumping is a persistent problem in areas like East New York and Hunts Point, according to the Sanitation Department.
“It’s just garbage everywhere, everywhere,” said Barbara Alexander, an East New York resident.
It took PIX11 mere minutes to see what she was talking about. Along roadways were mangled mattresses, broken bikes, bowling balls, toilet seats, shopping carts and discarded luggage.
“We try to clean the community at night when we sleep. Someone will come and do it again,” said resident Warren Carter.
The Sanitation Department says it is stepped up its efforts in places like East New York.
Using a new camera network to capture illegal dumping, vehicle impounds and $4,000 summonses are up to 450% already this year, and more cameras are coming.
There will be 250 around the city by the summer, according to sanitation Commissioner Jessica Tisch.
“Our message to dumpers is clear: Your days of dumping on our neighborhoods are over,” she said. “Our message to New Yorkers is even more clear: These crooks thought no one gave a damn about your neighborhood, but they were wrong.”
Tisch also underscored that keeping the city clean in general is a community responsibility. So sanitation is also writing more tickets to property owners who don’t do their part.
She could not estimate how much more money the city was bringing in with all of this citation writing, saying most of it is recent and there is a process people can use to appeal. However, Tisch did stress the goal is not ticket writing for the sake of ticket writing but to take out the garbage.
