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State of #OurCity: Mayor de Blasio Announces CleaNYC - Holistic Effort to Keep Communities Clean Across the Five Boroughs

February 3, 2016

Video available at: https://youtu.be/8wz4rXmTHd8

City will bring Graffiti-Free NYC and sidewalk power washing to commercial corridors, while expanding Sunday and holiday wastebasket service and highway shoulder and ramp cleanup

Today, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced CleaNYC, a holistic effort to keep communities clean in all five boroughs through stepped up Graffiti-Free NYC efforts and sidewalk power washing in commercial corridors, as well as the expansion of Sunday and holiday litter basket collection service and highway shoulder and ramp cleanup.

“New Yorkers want to see clean streets, sidewalks and public spaces – and they deserve no less,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “Whether it’s the highway shoulders and ramps that provide the first impressions of our city, the residential neighborhoods New Yorkers call home, or the commercial corridors that are the heart of our local economy, CleaNYC will keep communities clean and improve quality of life, a priority for this administration.”

CleaNYC includes a number of efforts aimed at keeping communities clean:

  • Expanded graffiti removal and sidewalk power washing in commercial corridors citywide: The City will expand the Economic Development Corporation’s successful Graffiti-Free NYC Program and also add power washing of sidewalks in heavily trafficked commercial corridors in all five boroughs, including all Industrial Business Zones and other targeted corridors, such as Hylan Boulevard on Staten Island, Church Avenue in Brooklyn, the Downtown Flushing Transit Hub in Queens, Jerome-Gun Hill in the Bronx, Broadway on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, and 125th Street in Manhattan. Graffiti-Free NYC will remove graffiti from private and public structures, power wash sidewalks, and remove blight from street furniture. The new Graffiti-Free NYC trucks will be equipped with power inverters, allowing the equipment to run without using the engines or gas-powered generators.
  • Expanded Sunday and holiday litter basket service: New York City is the most popular walking city in the country, which also means it requires more attention to litter removal than most cities. The Department of Sanitation will expand Sunday and holiday litter basket collection by 40 percent, with a focus on heavily trafficked neighborhoods across the five boroughs, to ensure service on days when pedestrian traffic is often at its highest.
  • Expanded highway shoulder and ramp cleanup: Highway ramps are often the first impression many people have of the city, but they don’t always get the attention they deserve. Through expanded resources, the Department of Sanitation will be able to sweep approximately 100 additional miles per week, removing litter, dirt, leaves, millings and other debris.

In total, CleaNYC will cost $4.2 million in expense funds in Fiscal Year 2017, and $2.5 million in capital funds.

“I am pleased that the Department of Sanitation is a participant in CleaNYC, which is a turning point in how we view the city’s cleanliness,” said Department of Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia.  “New York City is a great walking town – so much to see and enjoy.  The restoration of litter basket collection on Sundays and holidays will ensure that the neighborhoods and communities where our residents live and tourists visit reflects the pride we feel in our city. Upon entering or leaving New York City, cleaner highway shoulders and ramps will leave a positive impression that we care about our city and are willing to invest in beautifying its critical areas.”

“With this expanded Graffiti-Free NYC program, we’re making a major investment in quality of life for people in all five boroughs,” said Economic Development Corporation President Maria Torres-Springer. “We’re also ensuring that our commercial corridors are places where businesses can thrive and create good jobs. And importantly, through partnerships with local workforce development organizations, we’re creating employment opportunities for New Yorkers who need them the most.”

“Clean streets and public spaces are part of building welcoming, vibrant communities and business districts,” said Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer. “I commend this initiative. Tackling blight, cleaning our streets and stepping up garbage removal at high-traffic times and locations will help our city put its best foot forward.”

"I am thrilled that the City is reinstating Sunday and Holiday collection of public trash bins. Often, pedestrians are unable to use bins as they are overflowing, which is a public health and quality of life concern. I applaud the Mayor for his leadership and the DSNY for their continued hard work keeping our city clean," said Assembly Member Deborah J. Glick.

“For the past two years, the Flushing Business Improvement District has been working diligently to keeping Downtown Flushing graffiti-free. We will continue working with NYCEDC on this initiative to keep our public spaces and sidewalks graffiti-free and attractive,” said Tina Lee and Timothy Chuang, co-Chairs of the Flushing Business Improvement District.

“Citizens Committee for New York City is funding neighborhood cleanup projects in all five boroughs and partnering with the City departments of Sanitation, Parks and Transportation to make cleanups easier for New Yorkers. We thank the Mayor for supporting this work and pledge ourselves to join him in working even harder to make sure that all our neighborhoods are as clean as they can be,” said Peter Kostmayer, CEO of Citizens Committee for New York City.

“We are gratified that the Administration is investing in these very important neighborhood management efforts for Industrial Business Zones, and several key commercial corridors.  Power washing, graffiti remediation, highway shoulder and ramp cleanup, and Sunday and holiday basket service will all affect large areas of Long Island City, benefiting our businesses, their employees, customers and residents as well,” said Elizabeth Lusskin, President of the Long Island City Partnership.

“We're happy that the industrial businesses in the Industrial Business Zones are finally getting the attention that non-industrial commercial areas have always received. I applaud the Administration for this comprehensive approach,” said Brian Coleman, CEO of Greenpoint Manufacturing and Design Center.

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