COVID-19 related budget cuts in the early days of the pandemic led to a reduction in sanitation services such as trash pick-ups, and changes to alternate side parking regulations.Such cuts overlapped with an increase in outdoor dining, and other shifting patterns of human behavior, resulting in spikes in complaints relating to street cleanliness and rat sightings.On March 12, 2020, then Mayor de Blasio issued a state of emergency in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.In 2020, some City resources were diverted to aid the relief efforts and Fiscal Year 2021 (FY2021) budget gaps, and priorities shifted substantially. Alternate side parking (ASP) reductions led to cars remaining parked on streets for longer periods of time, reducing street sweepers’ ability to thoroughly clean the streets.This may have been a contributing factor to the increase in litter being reported throughout the City, which saw increases in 311 complaints for dirty street conditions and missed garbage collections between 2020 and 2022.

On September 12, 2023, the Committee on Sanitation and Solid Waste Management, chaired by Council Member Sandy Nurse, held an oversight hearing on DSNY’s Initiatives to Address Street Cleanliness. The committee will also hear several bills on street cleanliness. These bills seek to address concerns pertaining to the disposal of yellow and brown grease, dumping enforcement, the removal of abandoned or derelict vehicles, the commercial citywide routing system, increasing civil penalties for repeated littering violations, and DSNY’s resiliency and emergency planning.

The Council’s Data team gathered the following insights on street cleanliness in the City:

• 311 derelict vehicle and illegal dumping calls have increased over time but have had fewer OATH violations issued. There were 18 derelict vehicle calls and 39 illegal dumping calls for each violation made. While there was only 1 dirty conditions call for every 4 violations
• While most NYC streets have few dirty sidewalk OATH violations, less than three, there are eight streets that have more than 50 violations per total number of properties on that street.
• The businesses with the most dirty sidewalk violations/complaints are located in Southwest Queens on Rockaway Parkway, with 70 complaints per business, and in Floral Park on Union Turnpike with 50 violations/complaints, also in Queens.

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The sanitary conditions of New York City’s streets has effects beyond general quality of life and perception.During flash flood conditions like those experienced on September 1, 2021 when Tropical Storm Ida hit the City, significant amounts of litter floated with stormwater and swiftly clogged catch basins, exacerbating flooding issues in some neighborhoods, and and correlating with a large spike in catch basin complaints called into 311.Looking at not only where NYC residents are making 311 service requests but also at where OATH violations occur helps to gauge enforcement of sanitation street cleanliness rules.Between August 2022 – August 2023, there were 212,632 OATH violations and 146,595 complaints to 311 related to dirty conditions (including 311 complaints for litter), derelict vehicles, and illegal dumping. There were more OATH violations for dirty conditions than 311 complaints. For every complaint about dirty conditions, there were about 4 violations.On the other hand, there were fewer OATH violations per 311 complaints for derelict vehicles and illegal dumping. For each violation there were around 18 complaints for derelict vehicles and 39 complaints for illegal dumping.

311 data may be missing potential complaints due to an absence of 311 calls, or 311 data may contain multiple complaints about the same issue. For example, there are likely duplicate complaints of the same abandoned or derelict vehicles since they are not immediately removed.

An indicator of street cleanliness is the number of OATH violations a residence or business receives. A building or business owner can receive an Oath Violation for many reasons; litter, improper disposal of waste/recycling, food-related conditions, and more.

Of approximately 19,000 streets with violations like ’Failure to Clean 18 Inches into Street’, 90% have less than 2.5 violations (per total number of properties on that street.) Around 200 streets have more than 10 violations and 8 streets have more than 50 violations.The table below shows the worst 5 streets — streets with the most violations per property. West Kingbridge Road in the Bronx has 81 violations per property and 2823 – 2825 Dewey Avenue (also in the Bronx) has 68 violations per property, suggesting additional sanitation services are needed.These top streets are where one property takes up the entire block facing the street. For example, on 2823 – 2825 Dewey Avenue has the Throggs Neck NYCHA Development with 11 buildings facing the street.

When looking just at total violations, about 190 streets have 80 or more violations. The table below shows the worst 5 streets with the most violations overall. 1457 – 1499 Rosedale Avenue in the Bronx has 465 violations overall and 25-001 – 27-099 Steinway Street in Queens has 424 violations overall.

On August 1, 2023, a new set of administrative rules aimed at managing food-related waste took effect. Under the new rules, food-related businesses such as restaurants, delis, grocery stores, caterers, and bodegas must put their refuse and organic waste in a secure lidded container, to be emptied by the businesses’ private waste carters. An additional rule, that went into effect on September 5, 2023, extends containerization requirements to all businesses with five or more locations, regardless of what they sell.New containerization rules endeavor to reduce the hazards of food waste — rodents, spills from broken bags, and insects, while improving the overall presentation of trash. Containerization, along with the imminent rollout of Commercial Waste Zones, will aid in improving street and sidewalk cleanliness efficiently.This map shows the distribution of business-related OATH violations and 311 complaints per business. The median number of violations/complaints per business is about 1. Around 5% of areas receive 33 or more violations/complaints per 100 businesses. The businesses with the most violations/complaints are located in Parkside, Queens, near Forest Park, with about 4 complaints or violations for every business, and in the Rockaways with about 4 violations/complaints for every buisiness, also in Queens.

Littering & Street Cleanliness

There are 24,681 litter baskets distributed across the city, with the highest density in areas with the most foot traffic. Litter baskets are for pedestrian use only (not household or commercial trash), and disposing anything besides light personal garbage can result in a ticket. While integral to street and sidewalk cleanliness, many litter baskets require more attention from DSNY so that refuse does not spill onto the streets and sidewalks.

The median number of 311 complaints per litter basket (overflowing and general complaints) is 8, though about 10% receive greater than 18. The litter baskets with the highest number of 311 complaints are located in Brooklyn, on Boerum Place/Atlantic Ave (30) in Cobble Hill and Myrtle Avenue/Carlton Place (56) in Fort Greene.

Illegal Dumping

Unlawful dumping of household and business waste is an ongoing challenge to maintaining clean and sanitary sidewalks and streets. It is illegal for any person to deposit household or commercial refuse or liquid wastes in or upon any sidewalk, street, lot, park, public place, or in a public litter basket.
Local Law 135 of 2018 increased the civil and criminal penalties for unlawful dumping, prohibited improper disposal of household and commercial waste on sidewalks and streets, and allowed DSNY to use identifying information to locate the violator.

Still, illegal dumping and corner litter baskets overflowing with household and commercial waste continues to exacerbate the City’s litter challenges.

Derelict and Abandoned Vehicles

According to the New York State Code Vehicle & Traffic Statute, motor vehicles are deemed to be abandoned if they are left unattended without license plates for more than six hours on any highway or public place, for more than twenty-four hours on any highway or public place, except those on which parking is legally permitted, for more than forty-eight hours beyond when the parking of the vehicle would be considered illegal, if left on a portion of a highway or public place where parking is legally permitted, or for more than ninety-six hours on private property without the permission of the property owner.
If a vehicle with license plates accrues more than three tickets, the NYPD may tow and impound the car, after which the vehicle’s owner has 90 days to come forward before the property can be put up for auction.

Cars that meet the criteria for a derelict vehicle, meaning that the vehicle lacks license plates, has a missing or damaged hood, grill, front bumper or front fender, or is otherwise seriously burned, damaged, or visibly deteriorated or damaged, are removed by DSNY’s Derelict Vehicles Operation Unit.

To address this issue, the Committee on Sanitation and Solid Waste Management will be hearing the following legislation:

• Requiring the Department of Sanitation to accept commercial solid waste at city-owned or operated marine transfer stations and city-owned or operated rail transfer stations. Int 0055-2024
• Increasing the civil penalty for repeated littering violations. Int 0097-2024
• Requiring the Department of Sanitation to install at least twenty-five public organic waste receptacles in every community district, prioritizing areas of high-pedestrian traffic. Int 0410-2024

• Resolution calling on the New York City Department of Sanitation and the Department of Parks and Recreation to continue to engage and collaborate with local communities to encourage and allow community composting to be carried out on parkland. Res 0171-2024
• Resolution calling on the New York State Legislature to pass the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act, which would establish an extended producer responsibility system for packaging. Res 0172-2024