Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley and Councilman Antonio Reynoso announced that commercial corridors in their districts, including the neighborhoods of Ridgewood, Maspeth, Middle Village and Glendale, would be seeing an extra day of trash pickup.
“Over the years, far too many calls are coming into my office about trash pile up, whether it be on Fresh Pond Road, Grand Avenue, Metropolitan Avenue or, of course, here on Myrtle Avenue,” Crowley said last week. “People have a right to be concerned, because when garbage is piling up, it's not only disruptive for businesses but it is also a matter of public health.”
Crowley, Reynoso, and other members of the City Council were able to secure over $200,000 for each Council District to be allocated for clean initiative programs. Crowley has used the money for street and sidewalk sweeping, providing money to groups like the DOE Fund, and extra basket service.
On Myrtle Avenue, $60,000 will go toward daily basket pickup. The other corridors will see an extra day of pickup.
Myrtle Avenue BID executive director Ted Renz said he was happy to receive funding to supplement all of the cleaning initiatives that the BID already supports, including street sweepers. He said shoppers are very appreciative of a clean shopping district.
Reynoso, whose district also encompasses Myrtle Avenue in Ridgewood, said over the last few years, there's been an increase in the need for more trash pickup. He said he had to stop answering the phone calls of Myrtle BID executive director Ted Renz because he was calling so often about trash.
“But he was right,” Reynoso admitted. “And I'm glad we were able to work together to see the Myrtle Avenue BID be one of the models of cleanliness when it comes to BIDs.”
99.9 percent of the garbage is placed by people walking by, and the rest from tenants who live in nearby buildings.
Once again thank you Elizabeth Crowley.