Alliance Aims to Clean Up Residential Garbage with New Sanitation Guide
The residential population in Lower Manhattan has almost tripled since 9/11 and over 62,000 residents now call Lower Manhattan home.
“This is one of the fastest growing neighborhoods in the city,” said Downtown Alliance President Jessica Lappin. “This growth is incredible but more residents mean more garbage. We are releasing this guide to try and change behavior, identify best practices and reduce waste. We also want to work with the city to develop a plan that will encourage new large-scale residential developments to build waste infrastructure into their properties.”
The Alliance for Downtown New York has been cleaning up litter, removing graffiti and shoveling snow in public areas across Lower Manhattan for nearly 25 years. In a single year alone, the Alliance bags nearly 1,500 tons of public trash and collects 250 tons of public recyclables. But residential waste is handled by the city’s Department of Sanitation.
The “Lower Manhattan Residential Sanitation Resource Guide for Residents and Property Manager” includes:
- Tips on recycling and diverting additional materials including organics, textiles and e-waste;
- Inexpensive strategies for properties on how to reduce the volume of sidewalk refuse through compacting and baling; and
- Long-term policy recommendations for DSNY.
To develop this guide, the Alliance hired infrastructure planning and development firm ClosedLoops LLC, along with subconsultants Foodprint Group, ThinkWoven, and Joseph Timpone, who previously worked as the NYC Sanitation Director of Cleaning and Collection and Alliance SVP of Operations. Together, the team conducted two neighborhood field surveys to observe how curbside waste was affecting pedestrian access, curb appeal and cleanliness, and collected feedback from residents, local property managers and city agencies to better understand the situation. The findings demonstrated that while almost 20 percent of properties in the neighborhood have proactively enrolled in at least one of DSNY’s free diversion services (organics, textiles and/or e-waste) there is considerable room for improvement and a need to better educate individuals on how they can have a personal impact by properly using these resources.
Ms. Lappin also announced that the Alliance will host a series of events to promote a greener neighborhood through waste diversion.
Upcoming Events to Help Divert Waste
March 9 – Alliance hosts a volunteer day to spread compost from Earth Matter on Governor’s Island at Bowling Green with students from Macaulay Honors College at CUNY
March 25 – Alliance hosts an information session by DSNY on their Zero Waste programs for residential buildings (organics, textiles and e-waste)
April 6 – Alliances hosts a Shred-A-Thon @ Queen Elizabeth II Garden
May 21 – Dine Around Downtown goes Zero Waste with assistance from Common Ground Compost; Event will also feature on-site education about organic waste diversion
June 9 – Alliance Hosts e-waste collection @ Fulton Street (b/w Cliff & Gold Sts.)
Spring 2019 – Alliance Pilots Two Organics Bins @ Bowling Green and Coenties Slip
Spring 2019 – Alliance Hosts Small Business Breakfast with organics enrollment information
A number of Lower Manhattan leaders commented on the release of the guide:
Council Member Margaret S. Chin said “More garbage in our streets is not only unsanitary, it is dangerous. The Downtown Alliance developed its guide with the help of experts and community input. The result is a comprehensive plan which will lead to a cleaner and greener Lower Manhattan.”
Community Board 1 Chair Anthony Notaro said “CB1 has long advocated for improved quality of life in our district and lauds the Alliance for this step in addressing this problem which affects us all. We look forward to working with all stakeholders and city agencies to take this Guide and go further in getting positive results.”
Senator Brian Kavanagh, who represents Lower Manhattan said “Treating our neighborhoods with care is a key part of protecting our quality of life and being responsible stewards of the environment. When we work together to reduce our waste, and recycle or dispose of it properly, we promote a cleaner and safer future. I applaud Jessica Lappin and the Downtown Alliance for spearheading this great initiative.”
Assembly Member Yuh-Line Niou said “My office has heard many concerns regarding giant piles of garbage in our neighborhood. As our community grows, we must ensure that we also address the new issues that arise from residential activity. Active planning for the future helps our community take steps towards a greener, cleaner future. It is crucial that everyone, including the City and Department of Sanitation, residents, tourists, and businesses discuss taking care of the community we live in. I want to thank Downtown Alliance and Jessica Lappin in helping our community start a dialogue on how to resolve the sanitation issues we have.”