Brooklyn Officials and Community Leaders Call for Cleaner Streets

A Brooklyn Councilman wants to put an end to a trash problem in his district. Councilman David Greenfield says cutbacks in trash pick-up service in his Midwood neighborhood have led to overflowing bins and littering. He called for action from the City’s Sanitation Department at a news conference Tuesday morning.

According to Greenfield, Midwood receives pick-up service for its sidewalk trash bins only once a week while trash bins in neighboring Brooklyn or Manhattan areas are emptied twice a week.

"We live here. There’s no reason why our community should be treated differently,” Greenfield said, “and quite frankly some of the folks have told me recently, and we've seen this ourselves, the situation has gone from bad to worse. There’s more garbage.”

Councilman Greenfield is calling on the Sanitation Department to increase service to empty Midwood’s trash receptacles more often and implement surveillance cameras and policing to stop littering.

Midwood Resident Barbara Russo also feels something needs to be done to clean up her neighborhood.

“Have somebody clean it up. Either that or find out, put cameras up, find out who's doing, making the mess.”

 In a statement the Department of Sanitation said litter baskets are emptied four times a week, but they're still working with the Midwood community to solve any trash problems.