Felder’s Pilot Sanitation Program Victorious

Senator Simcha Felder (D-Brooklyn) thanked NY City Mayor Bill de Blasio and Department of Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia for switching many morning garbage pickups in Boro Park to late evenings and Saturdays. The Mayor unveiled the vital modifications to the sanitation collections and recognized Senator Felder for his decade of hard work in pushing through these changes.

“It's been 10 years since I first began hammering at this issue,” said Senator Felder, who was the first elected official to address the problem in 2006 during the Bloomberg administration. Senator Felder helped the Department of Sanitation initiate a pilot program to restrict garbage pick-ups on certain blocks during the busy morning hours.

“Sanitation pick-ups have made the traffic situation in Boro Park nightmarish for drivers and school children,” said Felder. “It’s taken time but working together with my colleagues Assemblyman Dov Hikind and NY City Councilman David Greenfield, we were able to make a difference. These significant changes are a solid example of government working with the community to enhance quality of life.”

The new Sanitation pick-ups are planned to go into effect around April 4th. Plan components include rescheduling recycling trucks from current day shifts to night shifts (12am-8am), and switching collection days from Mondays and Thursdays to Wednesdays and Saturdays. The result will be a 79% reduction in sanitation trucks in the areas between 42nd to 59th Streets and 12th to 20th Avenues. While the new plan may not fully eliminate refuse trucks in the area (as the garage is located on 19th Avenue), all trucks will try to clear the area by 8 am.

“Getting government to do anything is almost like winning the lottery,” said Senator Felder. “But, sometimes you win, which is what just occurred. Our community doesn’t ask for much—just to be able to get our kids to school without being driven crazy. This was also a safety issue because emergency vehicles couldn’t get through. So I’m very happy with the city’s renewed commitment to alleviating traffic congestion. We hope to see even greater improvements in the future but this is a great victory we can be proud of.”