By Dan Murphy
Last October, the City of Yonkers removed all of its public garbage cans, or litter boxes, from the streets of the city in an effort to reduce the amount of litter that overflows from the street, and to avoid abuse by some who are using the public cans as their private garbage removal system.
In a letter to all Yonkers businesses and property owners, Yonkers Department of Public Works Commissioner Tom Meier wrote: “A substantial factor that contributes to the litter problems we are experiencing particularly in more commercial areas is overflowing litter baskets. The city has several hundred litter baskets, which are emptied daily and are intended for pedestrian litter only. Instead, our crews regularly respond to overflowing litter baskets, which are filed with commercial and household refuge. For these reasons, the city will be implementing a new initiative, the removal of public litter baskets, which has experienced success in cities with the same problems.”
We spoke with Meier in October, when he told us: “The thought was, let’s try something new and see if people can take responsibility and carry their garbage home. As a taxpayer, I don’t want my tax dollars picking up merchants’ garbage. This is a new approach and it is a practice all of us will have to get used to, to see if it’s working.”
Most residents we spoke to in our daily travels around the city, and City Council President Mike Khader, did not agree with the decision. One suggestion, as a compromise – to return the litter baskets back to high-traffic areas like parks and bus stops – has been implemented.
Christina Gilmartin, spokesperson for Mayor Mike Spano, recently told the Journal News that 10 of the 450 litter boxes have been returned to city streets. “They have been placed in downtown Yonkers based on evaluation by the DPW and in consultation with the Downtown Business Improvement District. The new receptacles only have the bag, not a can – this is to deter individuals from disposing their household trash in the cans.”
On social media, one of the many complaints against the removal of litter boxes was that dog owners had no place to put their dog waste, and that in certain areas, like the waterfront, dog waste in plastic bags was being dumped at locations where the litter boxes used to be.
Some business owners supported the removal of litter boxes outside their establishments, because the garbage that passers-by would throw out would overflow onto the street, forcing the local business to clean up the sidewalks outside their business.
Currently, the replacement of 10 of 450 boxes, less than 3 percent, will give the city time to evaluate other high-traffic areas, and their need for garbage cans. Gilmartin added that in most cases, the removal of litter boxes has fared well.
“In many cases, the city is not replacing the cans because the streets are staying clean without them,” said Gilmartin. “The program has improved efficiency for the city, and a reduction in people shoving household garbage into the cans.”
