Removed trash baskets cause dumpers to trash neighborhoods

This PIX11 story is about a residential area in Harlem having their street corner trash baskets removed, however we're aware that this seems to be happening all over the city, even in commercial areas. There's a backwards logic that removing cans means people won't dump trash, which just is not the case.

Familiar excuses from DSNY

From CBS 2:

A Brooklyn block has been turned into a junkyard where public parking spaces are filled with wrecked and damaged cars.

Calls to 311 went unanswered. So CBS2 demanded answers and got action.

A frustrated Sheepshead Bay resident took CBS2’s Political Reporter Marcia Kramer on a tour of his block. He said he and his neighbors have been unable to park in public spaces for years because they’re filled with junked cars, like one with no motor and no doors. He said more than 40 to 50 calls to the city for help have fallen on deaf ears.

“They say they’re going to send somebody out… but no one shows up,” he said.

The block was filled with damaged cars and apparent attempts to beat the system by leaving cars on the streets with no license plates or registrations scraped off.

Kramer demanded answers from the owners of the nearby auto body shops and called both the Department of Sanitation and the NYPD. There were a lot of excuses, she reported.

This happens in EVERY neighborhood where there is an auto body shop. It would seem that Sanitation would make a gold mine off this issue but they'd rather send out bogus tickets to homeowners for gum wrappers that blow onto residential property. What a shame.

Push to use video as evidence for littering summonses

From the Queens Chronicle:

A Sanitation Department official told the Woodhaven Residents’ Block Association last Thursday that the agency would “love” to use camera footage in its enforcement of littering laws, but can’t because of the law.

“It does help our enforcement because usually its ritualized,” said Nicholas Circharo, community affairs liaison for the DSNY. “They do it every morning. We would love to use the footage.”

Right now, Sanitation enforcement agents must catch a litterer in the act to write him or her a summons and are not allowed to use video evidence against an illegal dumper.

Councilman Bob Holden (D-Middle Village) said earlier in the meeting that he’d be interested in writing a bill that would allow the agency to use surveillance equipment to keep streets clean.

Litter laws are a top issue for the WRBA, and it’s discussed at almost every one of the civic’s meetings. Circharo was asked to appear at the May one to answer a few questions from WRBA President Steve Forte and other residents.

Many complained that summonses are often written to homeowners and merchants for trash left behind by other people in front of their property — some businesses have been issued thousands of dollars in violations.

Middle Village being dumped on

Good morning Crappy

I am attaching pics I took this morning....this is on 75th Street in Middle Village. This is the side of the Coliseum Gym at 75-09 71 Avenue Middle Village.

This has been this way for several months....I have called Sanitation Garage in Maspeth....they have not come and issued ticket ...I am assuming because then it would have been cleaned up.

This is a mine field of junk...the snow has melted ...they never shoveled...this side street....I believe its there responsibility, if its their business. I just dont know how they get away with this....they must know someone at Sanitation.

What else can be done...this should definitely in the Hall of Shame....

Regards, Anonymous

Success has been reported in the past by sending complaints directly to DSNY Commissioner Kathryn Garcia. You may use this form.

Classic NYC government at work

From Brooklyn Daily:

Neighbors are outraged that the city tried to fine a Bay Ridge woman $100 for letting other residents’ garbage bags pile up in front of her 94th Street home — after it ordered residents of a nearby private street to leave them there for pick-up.

Earlier this year, the Department of Sanitation ordered residents of four private streets to start hauling their trash to the nearest public street corner to be collected, and the irony that the agency is now penalizing their neighbor for the pileup shows how flawed that new policy is, one resident said.

“Because of the change of policy, [the agency has] created a sanitary condition and is now going to penalize people for a condition created by its policy change,” said Bill Larney, who lives on Barwell Terrace, one of streets affected by the change.

The department has since moved to withdraw the July 26 summons, and claimed the ticket was a mistake. In fact, according to a agency spokeswoman, department staff was warned not to cite certain violations in the are, to avoid just such ironies.

“The Department of Sanitation instructed its enforcement personnel not to issue summonses for certain infractions at these locations,” said Kathy Dawkins. “Unfortunat­ely, a summons for storing plastic trash bags placed out on a public sidewalk on a non-collection day was issued to that address in error.”

The city told residents of Barwell Terrace, Wogan Terrace, Hamilton Walk, and Lafayette Walk back in March they they would have to start bringing their trash out to the curb of a public street for collection, ending the nearly 80-year practice of sanitation workers walking down the private walkways to pick up trash from the homes, according to Community Board 10 district manager Josephine Beckmann.

“These four locations are unique in that they’re off a main public street, and the manual collection was designed for that reason,” she said.

On June 5, the Department of Sanitation’s director of community affairs, Harry Ehrhardt, sent a letter to CB10 explaining that sanitation workers would no longer collect trash from the private streets due to safety concerns. And on June 26, residents of the four private streets responded by filing suit against the city and Department of Sanitation seeking restoration of service.

A resident who also lives on 94th Street between Hamilton and Lafayette Walks said he does not want to pay a price for the new policy because he lives in front of a newly designated trash drop-off area.

Pigs bring rats

From NY1:

People are used to seeing rats, but not like this: dozens of them darting back and forth inside the gated section of Corona Plaza.

It's a popular hangout for residents and their children, but on Monday, the rats seemed excited to be here, too.

It's not uncommon to see rats in this community, but people were surprised to see them so brazenly out in the open.

The Parks Department referred the matter to the Department of Health, where a spokesperson said the problem would be addressed.

On Wednesday, there were inspectors and exterminators on hand for an emergency baiting.

The Health Department says it takes the infestation "very seriously." In a statement, the agency added, "In partnership with NYC Parks we have been baiting Corona Plaza regularly; the most recent baitings at this location were conducted on April 30, May 1 and yesterday."

It also said that workers would "continue to bait and monitor the area.

Some residents also want the city to crack down on people who litter.

"The people eat over here on the street. They throw inside," said one man who help plug up the holes.

"There are food vendors who shouldn't really be on the street because once they're done selling everything that they brought, they throw all the litter on the floor," San Martin said.

After NY1 reached out to the Sanitation Department, they told us they would send an officer to the area as well.

People fed up with junk-filled property

From Cleanup Jamaica Queens:

In a relatively nice area off of Merrick Blvd (as can be seem by the above photo), sits some nice houses with yards, most of which are well taken care of, but directly near these homes not only sits the garbage strewn abandoned playground/vacant lot which I posted earlier, but another major eyesore, a vacant house at 108-50 171st Place owned by Bangladeshi slumlord Mahbubur Rahman (why am I not surprised). I point out this individual's ethnicity because more and more Bangladeshi slumlords have been causing many issues in Jamaica like this, while living in another community and allowing their property to fall apart and not give a shit who they rent to. Can you imaging them doing this in Forest Hills but yet they pull this shit in a predominately black community and they get away with this and our black leaders do shit.

Residents told me that the house has been vacant for about two months, but before that, was filled will possible squatters, while this slumlord did nothing, allowing the house to deteriorate. Over the years residents filed complaints about abandoned cars in the yard, illegal conversions, many families living in a house not set up for that. The owner was fined $2500 by DOB for illegal use of a residence with the cars in 2008. To this day that fined has not been paid. Before that the previous owner had complaints filed against him, but DOB did nothing in that matter.

Dirty sidewalk violations can't be fought

"I have been getting tickets for a dirty sidewalk in Astoria. The tickets are issued by the Dept. of Sanitation and start at $100. If I don't find out about the violation until later (because I don't live at the problematic address) the fine goes into default by the ECB and the fines goes up. If you were to see the sidewalk for this corner property, it looks reasonably clean. I've tried the impossible task of keeping it completely clean but it seems useless. The wind will bring some wrapper or piece of misc. over immediately. I wish someone from the city could witness it. This sidewalk is reasonably clean but it can never be 100% clean. It's also my responsibility 18" into the street. The tricky part isn't getting under parked cars or car tires but dealing with others people's nonsense. I have to dispose of and get the ticket when someone leaves a bottle of warm piss behind. I have to dispose of random bags of garbage dumped from cars. I've had other people's Christmas trees dumped on the corner. And of course, dog dookie.

I feel that I'm not alone. There must be other residential properties targeted for tickets. This is an unfair burden. Tickets may be necessary but they won't make the sidewalk any cleaner. Sanitation officers could probably bring in more revenue if they issued tickets to the offenders that are actually littering. But that job isn't easy. I know about the 8-9am and 6-7pm rule but I am not able to stand guard at those times. I can clean earlier or later than that but I can't make this my full time job. I have attempted to find someone to help using ads with local merchants. I have also tried Craigslist ads. So far, no one affordable is available. I can't pay $50 an hour. As a job it sucks, I know because I'm doing the cleaning. I am requesting some sound advice if Queens Crap can post a blog on this matter. The world wide web of misinformation makes it seems that fewer tickets are written and that the city is only getting cleaner. I haven't been able to locate articles on residential properties with these problems. This is not a Businesses only problem." - Anonymous

_________________________________________________________________________

I tried to assist someone else with just this problem. Unfortunately, I found that it was damn near impossible to mount a defense to these tickets. No proof needs to be offered by the officer issuing the ticket and it's a "your word against theirs" situation that the home or business owner always loses.

An entire report was written about just how unfair this issue is, but our local lawmakers would rather petition the president for terrorist pardons and worry about tampons in schools than pass legislation that would actually help the average taxpayer in this town.

DSNY hunts scavengers

From CBS 2:

Unwanted items are often left on New York City sidewalks for garbage pickup, but turning someone else’s trash into your treasure could land you in trouble with the law.

As CBS2’s Weijia Jiang reported, such scavenging is even costing the city money.

You may not know, but as soon as anything is left on a curb, it becomes the property of the city. It is illegal to grab and go.

CBS2 saw one man allegedly try to do it.

“When the super gave me the authorization, ‘Come pick it up,’ I think it’s no problem,” he said when Jiang pointed out that picking up discarded items is illegal.

Inside the man’s van was a residential microwave, refrigerator and washing machine – all appliances containing metal, police said.

Only sanitation crews or licensed vendors are authorized to take items. When they pick up less, the city loses money.

For that reason, police look for scavengers around the clock.

When will he give up?

Hey Crapper~

Liu loses again. (Redundant, eh?)

I wonder what happened to the millions in Sanitation Fines he deadbeat on. I know he had plenty of $ left after his campaign, which makes his complaint about the matching funds seem odd.

- D

P.S. John got 7% of the vote for mayor. Of course that was 7% of those who actually bothered to show up. I think that equates to .000007% of NY'ers

Woodhaven businesses pissed off about tickets

From WPIX:

A group of small business owners in Woodhaven, Queens says the New York City Sanitation Department inspectors are playing dirty.

The enforcement agents, they say, are slapping the businesses with $100 tickets in the middle of the night.

Last year, Bill de Blasio, while he was still Public Advocate, called the middle of the night ticketing “unreasonable.” So why is it still going on? Mayor de Blasio refuses to answer. His office referred us to the Sanitation Department , which also declined to address our questions.

Businesses being fined in the middle of the night

From The Forum:

The city Sanitation Department this week promised to investigate an area civic organization’s claim that the agency is engaging in an “unfair practice of issuing tickets to property owners in the middle of the night for garbage dumped outside their properties.”

According to the Woodhaven Residents’ Block Association, in a statement issued on Monday, it is a common nighttime occurrence for people to dump trash outside Jamaica Avenue storefronts. Then, DSNY agents write summonses in the middle of the night, fining the victimized property owners for failing to dispose of garbage that they had actually never seen. These owners, the WRBA said, are getting fined for dumping “they could not possibly have prevented or corrected.” Additionally, the civic detailed how the agents many times take the trash with them when they write the ticket, without providing any photographs to the fined party.

“The property owners have no evidence of the infractions for which they are being fined,” the WRBA noted. “This practice not only adds insult to injury; it also costs struggling business owners hundreds of dollars.”

The community organization indicated that it, too, had been ticketed in the overnight manner. In recent weeks, the WRBA has received Sanitation fines at 1:05 a.m. and 3:30 a.m. for trash dumped long after business hours outside its Jamaica Avenue storefront.

In a message addressed to Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia, members of the civic called on her to put an end to the practice. However, “previous efforts to communicate with Sanitation Department personnel have not resulted in any discernible changes,” the WRBA wrote.

Businesses to boycott

I saw the above front page story on the cover of this week's Ridgewood Times, and I said hmmm, signs are a problem throughout the city, so what can we do about it? Taking them down is one tactic, and reporting them to DSNY is another. But I had another idea: Compile a list of slobby businesses and let the world see just who they should boycott. I started a photo collection of ones I found in my travels, and I ask that you send me shots of the signs in your neighborhood as well and I'll add them to the album.

We can skip the lost/found flyers, the ones about yard sales and charity fundraisers. Let's go after the for-profit people who think city property, like lampposts and tree pits, are there to provide free advertising for them.


And here's the link to report them to DSNY.

Liu failed to file paperwork to appeal sign fines

From the Times Ledger:

Former city Comptroller John Liu said along the recent campaign trail that he is fighting $525,000 in city fines for illegal campaign posters in his 2009 comptroller run.

But his lawsuit challenging the fines has sat idle in state Supreme Court in Manhattan since February 2013 with no clear sign of when it will be initiated, court officials said.

Liu’s 2009 campaign committee, People for John Liu, originally filed the lawsuit against the city in Brooklyn in 2012 and later transferred it to the Manhattan court in February 2013.

After the transfer, the lawsuit has remained in legal limbo as Liu conducted two campaigns: an unsuccessful bid for mayor and his current primary bid against state Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside).

Once the lawsuit reached Manhattan, People for John Liu never filed a request for judicial intervention, which is necessary for the case to be assigned to a judge, according to court officials.

When asked at his Primary Night party why he had not filed a request for judicial intervention yet, Liu referred TimesLedger Newspapers to the attorney representing People for John Liu in the case, Martin Connor.

Connor said the lawsuit was originally filed in Brooklyn because Manhattan’s courthouse was still closed after Superstorm Sandy hit the city. He also said a request for judicial intervention had been filed in the original case before it was transferred to Manhattan, but refused to discuss the case further.

“We’re going to be reaching a settlement later this month,” he said.

Queens has a whole lot of poop

From DNA Info:

Not picking up after your pup is a violation of the measure, introduced in 1978, and carries a $250 fine.

But a sanitation officer must witness a violation in order to issue a ticket, according to the Department of Sanitation, so some residents rely on 311 to document discarded poop in their neighborhoods.

Queens had the highest number of complaints over the past four years with 1,409 and Maspeth was the ZIP code with third most complaints in the city.

Rounding out the top 10 were Parkchester and Wakefield in the Bronx, with 109 and 94 complaints respectively, East New York in Brooklyn with 84, the Bronx's Bedford Park with 80 and Ridgewood in Queens with 77.

Phony charities behind most clothing bins

From the NY Times:

A growing number of companies — many of them based in New Jersey — are illegally placing used-clothing bins throughout New York City, blocking sidewalks and serving as magnets for litter and graffiti. The receptacles typically have signs that indicate donated goods will go to the poor or, in some cases, to legitimate charities. But, city officials said, the needy do not benefit from much of what is collected. Instead, the clothing is often sold in thrift stores or in bulk oveseas, with the proceeds going to for-profit entities that can be impossible to trace, or even to contact.

City law bans such bins from being placed on sidewalks and streets; they are legal on private property with the consent of the owner. Once found by Sanitation Department enforcement officers or reported by residents to the city’s 311 help line, an illegal bin is tagged and the owner has 30 days to remove it. Summonses are not issued, a department spokeswoman explained, based on the theory that those distributing the bins have factored any fines into the cost of doing business.

Statistics confirm what a trip through many neighborhoods shows. In the fiscal year 2010, the city tagged 91 bins and confiscated 10. In the fiscal year 2014, which ended June 30, more than 2,006 bins were tagged and 132 were confiscated.

A similar pattern has emerged nationally, according to officials at leading charities. They are alarmed by the misleading competition, which, they maintain, is undermining their own efforts.

Forcing ticketers to produce photos

From the Daily News:

Ticket-happy city inspectors would have to get the picture under legislation being pushed by a city councilman.

New Yorkers who receive summonses for sanitation violations, health code violations at restaurants and some parking offenses wouldn’t have to pay unless there was photographic proof.

Councilman James Vacca (D-Bronx) says the measure is a no-brainer with today’s technology. “People have a right to insist that there be evidence of what they’re being charged with,” Vacca said. “Why have a he said-she said situation? ”

Sanitation workers would have to snap pictures when they fine homeowners for uncovered garbage or unshoveled sidewalks, and health inspectors scrutinizing restaurants would have to photograph the mouse droppings and dirty counters they plan to ding business owners for.

The parking ticket requirements, which would start with a one-year pilot program, would require photos with any ticket for parking too close to a fire hydrant or in a crosswalk; in a bus stop, a handicapped spot or bike lane or for failing to display a license plate.

Vacca said the move would cut down on complaints from New Yorkers who feel nickel and dimed by the city, which collects more than $800 million a year in fines.

“People are basically found guilty until they prove their innocence,” he said. “I want people to be innocent until proven guilty.”

A separate bill to be introduced by Councilman Vincent Ignizio (R-Staten Island) would outfit some health inspectors with body cameras to make sure inspections are on the up and up.

But he said it would also aid city agencies by discouraging people from filing false challenges when they’re clearly guilty.

Google Street View captures magic moment

Here we are in front of 53-24 35th Street, another John Ciafone-owned property. Notice the pile of trash at the bottom right and the appearance of a sanitation violation posted on the door. I don't even want to know what goes on in the basement.

Vallone, Jr.: garbage scofflaw

From the Daily News:

Former Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. was among thousands of New Yorkers slapped with up to $300 in fines for a little-known violation — dragging trash out to the curb too early.

Sanitation agents have issued a staggering 13,841 fines all across the city in the past six months — simply for taking the trash out too soon, according to city records.

“The city should have made this one of the violations they warn you about first — both for people who are unaware of the law and for people like me who on one occasion wasn’t going to be home at 4 p.m.,” Vallone told the Daily News.

With the exception of winter months, when trash can be taken outside after 4 p.m., property owners and landlords are expected to keep garbage inside until after 5 p.m. in order to reduce the amount of time the trash sits out in the open, according to the city’s Administrative Code.

The rule is in place to avoid cans from being blown over onto sidewalks. And it also prevents a passerby from dropping garbage onto the outdoor heaps.

The fines range from $100 for a first offense to $300 for repeat offenders, but many of them never pay, records show.

In 2012, the city issued nearly $3.6 million in fines, but only about $2 million has been paid thus far, according to the Environmental Control Board, an administrative court charged with handling such sanitation cases.

In 2013, the city imposed nearly $3 million in fines, including late fees, but only $1.5 million has been paid.

It doesn't look like he's planning to go away anytime soon...

Who's responsible for cleaning seized properties?

From Clean Up Jamaica Queens:

...the place has been sitting empty for awhile, with a "Marshal's Legal Possession" sign on the door, several Department of Sanitation violation notices (courtesy of yours truly) and a shit load of garbage in the front yard, down the basement stairs and on the porch. As usual, the garbage still stays and more gets added every day and again no one is doing anything about this and the place looks like shit and the community again as a whole suffers due to this bullshit and nonsense.

So is this and other places like this going to get cleaned-up or as usual will it just stay like this, get worse and continue the deterioration of Jamaica?


So, is the marshal supposed to clean it since it's in their possession? Hmm...