New York City Mayor Eric Adams, Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi, New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) Commissioner Jessica Tisch, New York City Department of Parks and Recreation (NYC Parks) Commissioner Sue Donoghue, New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Commissioner Rohit T. Aggarwala, New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez, and New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan announced $14.5 million in new funding to create a cleaner city through a major upgrade to cleanliness protocols across the five boroughs. The ‘Get Stuff Clean’ initiative will invest $14.5 million this fiscal year alone to clean more than 1,000 ‘No Man’s Land’ neglected areas around the city, increase litter basket service, expand camera enforcement against illegal dumping, and bring on additional rat exterminators — resulting in faster and more reliable cleaning of every corner of the city.
“From day one of this administration, we have been focused on ‘Getting Stuff Done,’ and, today, we are specifically delivering on the promise to ‘Get Stuff Clean’ for New Yorkers,” said Mayor Adams. “A big part of today’s initiative is cross-agency collaboration that will result in cleaner streets, more jobs, fewer rodents, and improved quality of life for our city’s 8.8 million residents. This $14.5 million investment will help build a cleaner, more welcoming city across all five boroughs and target over 1,000 areas that have long been neglected. New Yorkers are tired of seeing overflowing litter baskets and trash under overpasses, so our administration intends to deliver a more functional and more well-kept city for all.”
‘Get Stuff Clean’ includes the following initiatives and new funding to keep New York City’s streets, parks, and public spaces clean:
- 200 new DSNY workers will be added to support cleanliness across the five boroughs.
- NYC Parks will add new evening shifts for hot spot cleaning and rat mitigation within city parks, made up of 240 NYC Parks’ posts.
- $7.1 million for DSNY this fiscal year alone and more than $6.5 million annually thereafter to regularly clean approximately 1,500 ‘No Man’s Land’ areas around the city — areas that past administrations put under the jurisdiction of other city agencies without dedicated cleanliness resources. DSNY will also organize a new unit, the Targeted Neighborhood Taskforce (TNT), to give these areas regularly scheduled cleanings.
- $4.9 million for DSNY to implement Phase Two of the litter basket servicing plan this year, and resources in upcoming years, to service litter baskets at the entrances of bridges and along the perimeters of city parks. Phase One of the litter basket service plan that went into effect on July 1st is already showing promising results: A 55 percent reduction in litter basket complaints, bringing complaints back in line with pre-pandemic levels. Phase Two covers additional baskets at some of the city’s most highly-trafficked tourist areas.
- $470,000 this fiscal year and $1.1 million annually thereafter for a DSNY and DOT partnership to take on regular cleanings of highway on- and off-ramps. Like bridges and park edges, highway ramps are often one of the first places seen by visitors to New York City. They must be cleaned thoroughly and regularly, but this DSNY function was defunded at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and is now being restored.
- The Adams administration is deepening its investment in dumping enforcement by adding $1.4 million this fiscal year, and nearly $400,000 annually thereafter, for expanded camera enforcement against the scourge of illegal dumping. People engaged in illegal dumping will face $4,000 fines and vehicle impounds on a regular basis with these new cameras as part of an expansion of a highly successful and popular enforcement strategy.
- $630,000 this fiscal year and nearly $1 million in the next year for DOHMH to expand rat mitigation efforts.
- DEP will accelerate hiring 50 additional staff to inspect and clean sewer grates, also known as catch basins. Clean, clear, and unclogged sewer grates minimize flooding and improve the functionality of the sewer system.
“New York City is one of the densest cities in the world and New Yorkers occupy each and every corner, so each and every corner must be clean,” said Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi. “With additional investment, elbow grease, and smart interagency coordination, our forgotten, neglected spaces like median strips and green space will get and stay clean and litter free for all New Yorkers to enjoy.”
“As children, families, or any New Yorker strolls through their neighborhood, they deserve a clean environment,” said Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Anne Williams-Isom. “They should have certainty that the city will tend to trash, rats, and other quality of life issues. This initiative adds to the city’s ability to do that. Thank you to the teams across the city doing this work and to our interagency partners for coming together to deliver the services New Yorkers need.”
“Over the last two months, we worked with our agency partners to identify parts of the city that have suffered from gaps in cleaning, be it litter removal or basket service,” said DSNY Commissioner Tisch. “Now, we have 200 new sanitation workers coming on board who are going to close those gaps. I want to thank Mayor Adams for giving us the funding to do what we do best: ‘Get Stuff Clean.’”
“Parks are one of the most utilized destinations in New York City—people near and far visit them for fun, relaxation, and their mental and physical health,” said NYC Parks Commissioner Donoghue. “We’re grateful to Mayor Adams for leading this strategic path forward, affording us the opportunity to create a second shift to address our most heavily used spaces; and collaborating with our sister agencies on additive services to aid our hard-working staff in keeping our parks and their perimeters clean!”
“Litter on the street can get carried by rain water to the storm drains where it often blocks the flow of water into the sewers,” said DEP Commissioner Aggarwala. “Litter is a top contributor to flooding and standing water in the city and we applaud this initiative and look forward to working with our agency partners to Get Stuff Clean for New Yorkers!”
“Trash on highway ramps or along our iconic bridges can add to a sense of disorder that makes these public spaces less welcoming – for New Yorkers and tourists alike,” said DOT Commissioner Rodriguez. “DOT is proud of the work that we have undertaken to keep these spaces clean in the past, and we’re excited to do even more in partnership with DSNY to make all these public spaces shine. Thanks to Mayor Adams’ incredible leadership on and investment in ‘Get Stuff Clean’ the future and cleanliness of New York City’s public realm is bright!”
For more information, visit https://www.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/824-22/mayor-adams-consolidates-citywide-cleaning-functions-get-stuff-clean-14-5-million#/0.