Jan. 3, 2012 By Christian Murray
Many trash cans in Sunnyside and Woodside are filled beyond capacity, leading to an unsightly mess of litter blowing down neighborhood streets.
To help combat the problem, the Dept. of Sanitation and Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer’s office announced last week that a total of 24 additional trash baskets will be placed in the following corridors:
- 43rd Ave, between 43rd and 51st Streets
- 39th Ave. between 48th and 55th streets
- 51st Ave. between 2nd and 5th Street in Long Island City.
These streets will also be subject to additional street cleaning.
“These trash baskets and additional street sweeping routes will continue the quality of life improvement that I have fought for,” he said.
The location of the trash cans were determined based on constituent requests, according to a spokesman for Van Bramer’s office.
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Regarding the Gourmet Farmer’s Market on the corner of Greenpoint Avenue & 43rd Street, some one should make these people clean up the greasy mess they consistently dump all over the sidewalks in front of their store. There are suppliers that provide a pickup service for used cooking oil & grease. The best part is that the owner of this property happen to be the treasurer of the SUNNYSIDE SHINES, the official neighborhood business clean-up squad.
There are many food service enterprises in our neighborhood, grocers, restaurants, coffee & sandwich shops. not one of them throws their used cooking grease in front of their business.
Please add cans to Skillman betw 43 and 52. Like Pat, I see household trash thrown in these cans. I guess if you don’t like the sight of your own trash waiting for pick up at your curb just share your garbage with the whole neighborhood. Real considerate and classy.
I agree with FED UP but I also believe we’ve drifted from the real issue at hand – our neighbors. I’ve been living in this neighborhood for half of my life (I’m 42 now), I remember the days when people would pick up after themselves. Today that isn’t the case. Van Bramer has done a lot for our community and our neighborhood. My son was at Van Bramer’s event to renovate Thomas P. Noonan Park and I have really noticed the grafitti program has cleaned up alot of areas South of QB. People need to take more accountability.
Do I dare suggest that the Southside of QB is ignored because Jimmy’s major donors are on the other side of Queens Boulevard?
As for 39th Avenue parking, Sunnyside Gardens developers built its own parking garage, the building that currently houses a pool hall and gym. Over the course of several economic downturns owners sought greater income by turning to other uses. I wonder if it would better serve the community if it returned to its original purpose. I’d like to see the pool hall and gym on the north side of the LIRR, which would keep more of the regional traffic out of Sunnyside Gardens and in a retail corridor rather than a residential one.
John K. Wilson’s “tactic” is similar to my own when I notice irresponsible dog owners leaving their dogs’ messes on the sidewalks. Instead of calling them out, I ask, “Did you forget a baggie?” and hand them one. It makes the point and cleans the mess. You catch more flies with honey.
I think the extra trashcans are a welcome addition and might help curb the dog-poop problem, too. I think a lot of dog owners don’t pick up the mess because there’s no where to put it. (I’ll carry mine blocks if I have to, but not all dog owners are that diligent.) Maybe one day we’ll get a few doggie-bag kiosks on a few of the corners.
Councilmember Van Bramer-
Why is it that the south side is being ignored when it comes to quality of life issues?
There are just as many rental buildings, co-ops and private homes on this side of the boulevard as the north side.
As a south sider, I am growing increasingly frustrated at this pattern-the south side DESPERATELY needs garbage bins on Greenpoint Avenue between 44th and 39th, as well as that same stretch on 47th and 48th avenues.
Why are you ignoring your voters on this side of the boulevard?
In the past, your office has been extraordinarily responsive to any issue brought to your attention. I hope this posting and others like it will prompt you to address our needs as well as the north side.
Thank you.
John K. Wilson- you’re right. As is your wife. I will take your advice and begin to do as you do by picking it up. At least then I’ll feel I am contributing more to keeping the garbage off the streets while not making myself vulnerable to verbal or even worse , physical attacks. At the end of the day that is what everyone here is trying to achieve. Thanks!
sooz perry
That man’s anger revealed the guilt that you made him feel…when he didn’t want to feel it. I used to confront litterers, too. My wife correctly pointed out that I was putting my life—and her future—at risk; because you just might encounter a loon who’ll kill you. She asked me to stop challenging the piggies; but, I was still incensed at the littering.
What to do?
These days, I make a point of picking up whatever it is that was dropped as I tell the “perp”, “Here; let me get that for you”. I drop it in the nearest trash can. I carry hand sanitizer just for this purpose.
It works—the point is made; but, it isn’t too provocative.
Good Luck to the “sentinels”. Stay safe out there.
I too have had to confront these slobs who treat our neighborhood like a garbage can. I was walking on 43rd ave back from Met Food three Saturday’s ago with a ton of groceries in my hands when I see an older man in his late 50’s with a woman of a similar age and a teenage boy standing in front of the building across from the Korean market btwn 42nd and 43rd st. The teenager had some trash in his hand. I clearly witnessed the older man telling him to throw it under the white van parked a few feet away. So he did what his elder told him to do and threw it all under the van. When I passed them I said that location does not serve as garage can. Instead of acknowledging the wrong doing, the older man proceeded to curse me out!! I was shocked. First he teaches this impressionable minded teenager that littering is ok , then he shows him that cursing out complete strangers is acceptable. What is wrong with these people! Extremely disappointing.
There should be a neighborhood watch type group such as the Sunnyside Shines people or better yet the parking attendants who can issue warnings or citations for littering. Everyday you see someone walking down the street throwing wrappers, bags, cans, etc. on the ground instead of in the garbage cans.
There are plenty of cans, just not enough sense on the boulevard.
Embarrass the litter bugs. Post warnings on the cans or on businesses that there will be a $200 Fine for littering.
I agree with PAL there should be less alternate side parking and we should work to build more Parking facilities for residents instead of chasing them around giving them daily tickets and tow fees!!
more garbage cans on greenpoint and 40 street too
more garbage cans onthe southside please…!!!
Umm, HELLO, did anyone notice that there will be MORE street sweeping on 43rd Avenue and 39th Avenue? Do you know what that means? It means alternate side of the street parking rules.
Drivers should be at least mildly concerned that our councilperson would agree to make parking unnecessarily difficult as part of this agreement.
Overcrowding. Just like Manhattan, now. Someone is benefitting, but it isn’t us.
Oh, SuperWittySmitty and Krissi, how I wish I there were more of you in the neighborhood–people who make an effort not to have our neighborhood look like trash.
When I walk up 48th Avenue in the morning to the bus stop on 46th street, I am usually eating a banana. I have to take the banana peel into Manhattan (inside of my pocket!) because there aren’t any trash receptacles. There is certainly plenty of litter, though. But it’s true, people use public trash cans for their household trash all the time- whaddya gonna do?
I do feel strongly that the pigeon population needs to be addressed, though. I hate it when I see bird seed on the ground! Who does this? I’ve seen it under the subway and also in the park across from the library. Let’s all make an effort to to get a picture of someone doing this- can you imagine how entertaining this project would become? While it could become messy and confrontational, it would also lead to a deeper sense of community involvement.
i agree with annoyed ….jvb…what about the southside…we dont get graffti removal and now u are stiffing us on the garbarge cans
We should put netting or spikes underneath the 7 train so the birds cannot dump their stuff on the streets below
Plus we have slobs that live in the area… how about taking some pictures of these people and putting them on this site and embarass them a little bit… mabe they would get the message that way… it may not be nice but at least we get a cleaner town out of it
The problem is also people who just toss their litter right onto the sidewalks. I see it happen all the time. Lots of slobs walking around Sunnyside.
Responding to DEBBIE there is more to complain about then pigeons of course! Feeding the pigeons…brings feces…airborne diseases and brings back the RATS that I worked with Mayor Guiliani & Neal Cohen the former Health Commissioner and the Sunnyside Chamber of Commerce in the 80s to get rid of due to all the subway construction!!!!!! which has been ongoing for the 30+ years i am a resident
Take a look around at some of the people in the neighborhood and from where the come…..i am sure they dont have garbage cans on every corner in their countries! It is how you are raised! What you learn at home should carry you thru every day life!
Great job Krissi!
Why doesn’t the south side of Queens Blvd ever get any help. Most of the time it is the north side and the gardens that gets everything.
Sick of the pigeons and the real rats who like the 52nd Street stop. It is disgusting.
I Moved…
Just the other day I actually yelled at a 20-something (I’m not that much older) who walked out of Subway Sandwiches on Greenpoint and literally just threw his soda into the street before entering his car. (like there aren’t garbages in Subway)
“DUDE! People LIVE in this neighborhood!” I yelled as I picked it up. He looked at me sheepishly as he mumbled “oh, sorry”.
I have no idea why someone would treat our neighborhood like a trash can. Is consideration something that actually needs to be taught? I kind of assumed it was natural.
The removal of trash cans should come all the way up to Upper Skillman, as an example: the cans outside of PS11 are full of houshold garbage
not pieces of candy wrappers or soda cans disposed of as one walks down the street ..
… Sanitation picks up at the curbside, why then do some landlords/supts walk to a refuse can to throw out their garbage. Just dosen’t make sense.
I am shocked and amazed each time I walk under the 52nd St stop at all the pigeon poop. It is revolting. Get rid of the flying rats, especially if you are going to be selling food under the train.
My husband and I recently moved out of Sunnyside, a place we proudly called home for years, due to the inconsiderate neighbors and trash filled streets.
If only Jimmy could offer a crash course to people on how to throw their garbage into the cans and not on the streets. There are a lot of pigs who recently moved into the neighborhood who just litter on the streets instead of placing it in the cans.
Also, they let their dogs defecate all over without scooping it up.
My pet peeve is the Sunnyside Shines guy who just stands there all day with the bin in the middle of the sidewalk for people to walk around. Job security I guess??
Wow…if that’s all you people have to complain about…you are blessed! Who cares about pigeon poop? I am born & raised in Sunnyside and pigeons & their feces have been under the El since I was a kid. Not really much you can do about it, even if they don’t get fed, the birds have to ‘go’ somewhere. Do you want Pigeon Police? I am more concerned about cars getting broken into and vandalized. I am lucky to have a parking space, but somebody scratched our neighbor’s car with a key, as he parks on the street. Thanks to Jimmy Van Bramer for the extra garbage cans! Also, part of the reason the garbage cans get so full is that the store owners and some home owners throw their garbage. I saw this twice in the past 2 weeks. The barber across from the post office did it the other day, as I was sitting in my car parked in a meter. Why can’t they throw their garbage out at the end of the day and leave by the curb?
I agree with Suecgbg…it is hell under the 7 train with the pigeon feeding. Literally a sac a day of feed is dumped right across from South Pole. Who the hell buys all that feed just to feed the flying rats? Ridiculous.
We used to have the garbage cans on 39th place & 39th Street on the north side of the blvd – due to the “hurricane” they were removed and never replaced.
And talking @ garbage – how about fining all the rodent loving idiots that feed the pigeons under th el? They’re also feeding the rats!!!!!!!!
I keep missing them to take a photo so I can send them to you office it is not only disgusting its unhygenic!
I think that you should bring that as far down as 39th Street.
We have a lot of people from 43rd street to 39th street who also have to see this every day. Especially 41sst and Queens Blvd, right by the Burger King.