A new bill put forward by two New York state lawmakers could prevent garbage trucks from overnight on residential streets. The legislation comes just over a year after the Department of Sanitation’s (DSNY) lease ran out at a Hudson Yards parking lot and the agency relocated some two dozen trucks to three East Village side streets. Since then, locals have relentlessly complained about the stench of garbage and say the wall of trucks has become a public health and safety hazard. The “ridiculous practice” of overnight garbage truck parking in the East Village and beyond must end, say local pols.
“We must ban garbage trucks from parking overnight on residential streets so we can protect the quality of life in every corner of our city,” said State Senator Brad Hoylman, who represents the area and introduced the legislation with Assemblymember Deborah Glick.
Under the law, any vehicle “removing, disposing of, conveying or transporting solid waste” would be banned from parking overnight on city streets, according to the bill.
For the past 14 months, garbage trucks have parked on East 10th Street between First and Second avenues from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. every night and all day on Sundays. The city has said the street was selected because the block is near DSNY stations where workers receive orders and can use restrooms and locker space. But the change has “ruined 10th Street business activity and residents’ quality of life,” according to City Councilmember Carlina Rivera, who represents the area and lauded the state legislation.
The East Village block is far from the only street that has endured the smelly scourge of sanitation trucks lining their streets overnight. Mayor Bill de Blasio even admitted last year that the city doesn’t want “residential areas to feel the burden” of garbage truck parking, yet nothing has changed on the East 10th Street block. “Do we want garbage trucks parked on residential streets? Of course not,” the mayor said.