As budget cuts last year hammered the Parks Department, trash has piled up in green spaces throughout the borough.
Councilman Rafael Salamanca has taken notice and recently took action to help alleviate this problem. On June 4, the lawmaker announced the allocation of $424,000 for three new garbage collection vehicles.
The vehicles, a heavy-use Kenworth 16-yard garbage packer and two HINO midsize garbage trucks, will help Parks respond to the surge in trash accumulating in city parks as a result of increased usage.
“When COVID-19 lockdown restrictions went into place, New Yorkers without backyards immediately felt the impact of not having any space to enjoy leisurely outdoor activity,” the councilman said. “Naturally, our city parks became the one-stop for New Yorkers, especially those in low-income neighborhoods like mine, to get out of their homes and see their friends and family in a safe, socially-distanced manner.
Our parks played host to everything from family barbeques, to birthday parties, to memorable affairs like weddings. With all the increased usage, however, trash from these gatherings were getting left behind, leaving our parks filled with garbage in the process. As a result, I knew it would be imperative to ensure DPR had the proper resources to handle the increased demand put on our parks system. Moving forward, these three vehicles will play a major role in keeping our beautiful parks system in the pristine condition New Yorkers deserve.”
COVID19 showed so many New Yorkers how fortunate we are to have a world class parks system. Overnight, our parks become the city’s backyard. To meet the demand, I am proud to have allocated $424k for garbage trucks to ensure our parks are in the pristine condition we deserve! pic.twitter.com/LOpUdqo9WG
— Rafael Salamanca, Jr (@Salamancajr80) June 4, 2021
