Watch CBS News

NYC Sees 26 Percent Jump In Missed Garbage Pickup Complaints

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Complaints to 311 about missed garbage pickup are up 26 percent so far over last year in New York City.

As CBS2 Political Reporter Marcia Kramer reported, the news was just what Mayor Bill de Blasio does not need.

From Jan. 1 to Aug. 1, the city received a total of 16,936 complaints, which is about 3,500, or 26 percent, more than the same period last year. This year's figures were also up 32 percent compared with 2014, the first year Mayor de Blasio ran the ship.

Queens saw 6,435 complaints, followed by Brooklyn with 5,267, Staten Island with 2,779, Manhattan with 1,385 and the Bronx with 1,070, the New York Post reported.

The problem has drawn complaints in particular in Ozone Park, Queens – a quiet neighborhood that is a seething cauldron of municipal unrest beneath the surface. Ozone Park residents made 573 of the calls.

"You can complain, but who listens?" said Michael Ban of Ozone Park. As to whether the mayor listens, Ban said, "No he wouldn't, not this mayor."

In Ozone Park, residents apparently called over 500 times between January and August, but one lifelong resident said he doesn't think it's the Department of Sanitation's fault.

"We've had some missed pickups along 101st Avenue due to some major construction going on with the gas companies and when they close streets, it's difficult for them to come down so either they don't come back to pick up and of course we've had some complaints about it," the resident said.

Another resident said her problem with the department is that she never sees a street sweeper on her block.

"I've been living here over 25 years and I think they've maybe come 10, 15 times," the woman said.

Other residents praised the department.

"Unfortunately, this is a dumping ground so sanitation is constantly on top of that," one resident said. "I have nothing but praise for the Department of Sanitation, especially in this area."

Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia blamed some of the problem on the fact that it has changed the way it collects organic garbage in two districts – one in Brooklyn, including Park Slope where Mayor de Blasio used to live, and the other covering areas of Queens that include Ozone Park.

"In order not to run too many additional trucks with the organics program, we're using a different type of truck which has two hoppers in it, which are half the size of a regular hopper, and that means we can't collect bulk items," Garcia told 1010 WINS. "We really needed to do more education around this. That we want your bulk items in those districts to be put out on the second collection day so that we can then send a bulk truck that's specifically designed to take these larger items away during our second shift, which is between 4 p.m. and midnight."

Confusion over changes in pick up schedules and weather events have led to some missed days, 1010 WINS' Samantha Liebman reported.

An increase in the volume of recyclable trash has also added to the issue.

"We've actually seen a very significant uptick in the amount of recycling that's occurring and we've had to actually add additional trucks to keep up with that amount of volume," Garcia said. "In some ways this is actually a happy problem for us, that the routes have gotten heavy enough that they're having difficulty completing them."

Garcia said the department is starting to get a handle on the trash.

"We are collecting most of the material that's getting left out on our second shift," she said. "It's not staying out for days at a time, it's usually collected on that evening and we are continuing to look at how many trucks we put out to make sure that the trucks are matching the volume that's on the curb."

Still, pundits said the garbage pickup problem is a political headache for Mayor de Blasio.

"The first job of the mayor is to make sure services are delivered," said political consultant Hank Sheinkopf. "Ideology is wonderful, but it doesn't pick up the garbage."

CBS2 reached out to the Mayor's office, which referred Kramer back to the Sanitation Department.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.