Photo Courtesy of Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office
“Our sanitation professionals have been heroes throughout this crisis,” Mayor de Blasio said.
By Forum Staff
New initiatives aimed at bolstering City sanitation and street-cleanliness efforts are on the way, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Tuesday.
According to the administration, the City will take three response actions to supplement current sanitation efforts:
- The City will reallocate a portion of the Department of Sanitation budget to support the restoration of approximately 65 litter basket trucks weekly in areas across the five boroughs, a 24-percent increase from current levels. These additional litter basket trucks will focus on the 27 neighborhoods citywide that have been especially impacted by the COVID-19 crisis, as well as other areas across the City that will see increased pedestrian traffic as employees return to the workplace.
- The City Economic Development Corporation will restart CleaNYC with the Doe Fund to provide supplemental cleaning services in neighborhoods and parks across the city through the end of the calendar year. This supplemental cleaning will support efforts by DSNY and the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation, as well as Business Improvement Districts and other community partners. The Doe Fund provides employment, career training and social services to homeless and formerly incarcerated individuals.
- The City will partner with community-based organizations, elected officials and the private sector to sponsor community cleanups and mobilize volunteers to collect litter on streets and in parks. The City will provide tools and logistics support to groups who host cleanups.
“Our sanitation professionals have been heroes throughout this crisis,” de Blasio said. “They deserve all the support they can get in their fight to keep New York City clean.”
