City brings new litter baskets to East New York

January 12, 2018 By Paula Katinas Brooklyn Daily Eagle

East New York shoppers will soon be seeing a lot of these litter baskets on their sidewalks. Photo courtesy of the Dept. of Small Business Services

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There’s a lot of trash talk going on these days in East New York. But that’s a good thing, city officials said.

Shoppers who visit stores in East New York’s commercial areas will be seeing new litter baskets on the sidewalks, thanks to the Department of Small Business Services (SBS), which is installing 62 new trash receptacles to replace old wire trash cans.

The new litter baskets will help to beautify the commercial corridors of East New York, according to SBS officials. The receptacles will not only help reduce the amount of litter on the sidewalks, the litter baskets will also help eliminate a food source for pests, officials said.

The litter baskets are part of SBS’ Neighborhood 360° program, a project aimed at revitalizing communities by working in partnership with local civic and business leaders.

“Strong neighborhoods are the backbone of our city, and the nearly $1.5 million in investments to East New York are going a long way towards revitalizing key commercial corridors,” SBS Commissioner said Gregg Bishop told the Brooklyn Eagle via email. “These new waste baskets will cut down on litter and eliminate a food source for pests. Together, we are responding to local needs and building more vibrant neighborhoods for residents and small businesses alike.”

The installation of the litter baskets is part of nearly $1.5 million that SBS has provided to East New York to fund additional sanitation services in East New York that include street sweeping.

SBS recently conducted a study of the neighborhood’s commercial areas and found that many community leaders identified street cleanliness as an area of concern.

The comprehensive study looked at everything from the neighborhood’s population to transportation issues and the types of jobs available to workers.

“East New York is served by four main commercial corridors. Atlantic Avenue, one of Brooklyn’s busiest thoroughfares, is currently lined with a mix of manufacturers, fast-food, depots and automotive businesses that serve a regional customer base. Pitkin and Liberty Avenues currently have limited retail continuity and are defined by concentrations of commercial, residential, industrial and religious uses, interspersed across the two corridors. Fulton Street, located under the elevated J/Z train, is home to a vibrant mix of local retail, where East New York residents frequent the corridor to dine at authentic cultural and ethnic restaurants and purchase household goods, and hair and beauty services,” the report reads in part.

East New York is a vibrant and multicultural community, according to the report. The neighborhood’s nearly 80,000 residents include large numbers of African-Americans, Caribbean-Americans, Bangladeshis, Dominicans and Puerto Ricans.

“Despite challenges of lower incomes and higher unemployment compared to the New York City average, there are many community-based organizations that actively invest in the social and economic development of East New York and its residents, creating invaluable social capital for building a more resilient and equitable future,” the report reads.

East New York has been getting a great deal of attention from the de Blasio administration in recent years.

In 2016, the City Council approved a proposal to rezone East New York under a program that SBS officials said will lead to the construction of an estimated 5,800 housing units and more than 400,000 square feet of new commercial space over the next 15 years.

The rezoning plan, which is called the East New York Neighborhood Plan, calls for the construction of a new school, as well as community centers and childcare centers, officials said.

To read the full SBS report on East New York, visit http://www1.nyc.gov/assets/sbs/downloads/pdf/neighborhoods/n360-cdna-eny.pdf.