Councilman David G. Greenfield was joined today in Boro Park by New York City Sanitation Commissioner John Doherty and local elected officials and community leaders to announce an initiative to improve cleanliness on residential streets and commercial avenues throughout the district. Also on hand to support the initiative were State Senator Simcha Felder, Assemblyman James Brennan, Assemblyman Dov Hikind, Community Board 12 Chairman Yidel Perlstein and a representative for Councilman Brad Lander.

The effort aims at improving the neighborhood’s overall cleanliness and reducing the amount of trash on the streets, sidewalks and private property in order to make the area more welcoming and inviting for everyone who lives, works or shops here. A centerpiece of the campaign involves educating homeowners, tenants, and businesses about the laws they must follow to avoid fines, and their responsibility in keeping the community clean. This will include distribution of fliers and posters around the community explaining the basic guidelines for trash and recycling collection and tips for avoiding fines. The end result will be fewer tickets for businesses and homeowners and a cleaner, less dirty community for everyone to enjoy.

In addition to reminding residents and businesses about the different fines they can face from the Sanitation Department, Councilman Greenfield discussed specific projects and efforts including a recently-completed cleanup along Bay Parkway that he funded, and the possibility of expanding it to areas of Boro Park. In response to one of the biggest issues plaguing many neighborhoods, Councilman Greenfield and Commissioner Doherty also discussed the possibility of a pilot program using cameras to catch individuals who are illegally dumping trash on city streets or private property or improperly using street corner litter baskets for household garbage.

“We all have an important role in keeping streets clean and our neighborhood beautiful, which is why I am proud to lead this public outreach and education effort in partnership with Commissioner Doherty and the entire Sanitation Department. The bottom line is, a cleaner community means a better quality of life for residents and fewer tickets for local business and homeowners. We are the fastest growing community with the most kids, so it is a challenge to keep the neighborhood free of trash. However, I’m confident that if everyone does their part, we can build on our successes and make Boro Park even cleaner,” said Councilman Greenfield.

“I would like to thank Councilman Greenfield for hosting today’s event. We look forward to continuing our partnership with Councilman Greenfield, Senator Felder, Assemblyman Hikind, Assemblyman Brennan, Councilman Lander, and Community Board 12 Chairman Perlstein and all local residents in the ongoing efforts to keep the community clean. Today’s event is an example of how by working together and collaborating we can achieve our common goal of improving quality of life in such a vibrant community,” said Sanitation Commissioner Doherty.

“We should be able to be proud of how our neighborhood looks. The key to cleaning up our neighborhood and keeping it clean is educating our children from an early age to have respect for both their and their neighbor’s property. We especially need to teach by example. This means making sure our garbage doesn’t become someone else’s garbage. It also means not using public corner garbage cans as a personal dumping ground for private trash,” said Senator Felder.

“I want to commend Councilman Greenfield and Commissioner Doherty for sponsoring this public education event on this important issue. It is incumbent on all of us as elected officials and community leaders to help educate the public about their responsibilities in keeping our streets clean. It is important for the Sanitation Department to be sensitive to the community and for us to work in a cooperative fashion and do our best in making our community as clean as it can be,” said Assemblyman Brennan.

“We live in the community and we have our offices in the community, so we all have a responsibility to keeping our streets clean. Overwhelmingly, the people in this community take care of their homes and business, but we need to all work together to make sure our community is not rated poorly due to a couple of locations bringing it down and resulting in tickets that people cannot afford. We appreciate the commissioner working with our community, and all we ask for is fairness,” said Assemblyman Hikind.

“Thank you to the Department of Sanitation for making cleaner streets and sidewalks in Boro Park a priority. If we all do our part, we can make a walk through the neighborhood more pleasant for everyone. I hope all residents and small businesses join in,” said Councilman Lander.

“Thank you to Councilman Greenfield and Commissioner Doherty for holding this event and to the Sanitation Department for all of their hard work for our community. We all know how important it is to keep our streets clean, so we appreciate the commissioner coming down here and working with the community on this initiative,” said Community Board 12 Chairman Perlstein.

(YWN Desk – NYC)