When it comes to a healthy environment, everyone should be able to breathe clean air.   However, with the amount of garbage and other debris left in the streets of Brownsville, its difficult for us to do so. Unfortunately, not only do we have to deal with overflowing trash cans and littered streets, we also have the sight of dead animals decomposing makes us sick by the noxious gases that are given off by them.  The vision of full garbage bags being dumped in many of our less trafficked areas in our community is also extremely unpleasant. Particularly in the summer months, the stench and odors are unhealthy and can further initiate respiratory problems in our vulnerable populations such as children and the elderly. Rodents are being fed on our streets by our citizens intentionally where food is thrown on the ground. This creates an increase in infestation and breeding for more rodents.  Animals hit by cars in our inner city streets are hardly picked up.

In addition, not only does immediate service of trash pickup improve the sights of our streets but provides confidence of residents within these areas that genuine interest is taken when it comes to maintaining a cleaner neighborhood. Our goal is to assemble a team to help keep our community clean.  The team will meet weekly and work in targeted areas like East New York, Rockaway, Pitkin Avenues as well as Rev. RD Brown Place and Mother Gaston Boulevard. Each volunteer will be offered a modest stipend for the effort. 

Garbage is left for days at a time which does not occur in various other neighborhoods with high incomes.  Affluent neighborhoods tend to have more resources including adequate amount of garbage cans to properly dispose waste. In contrast, underserved areas where the income of residents is significantly lower have overwhelming amounts of garbage with limited garbage, disposable waste bags for pet waste, and recycling bins.

Our councilmen, senators, elected officials, and district leaders refuse to change the dynamics that are urgently needed and should be afforded as equally as the residents residing in wealthy areas.  Furthermore, the sanitation department in each borough of NYC has designated routes to pick up garbage. The workers are accustomed to driving trucks and disposing trash and other garbage along the way. Sanitation workers on foot have become limited to picking up garbage or debris left on the sidewalks on specific areas.  These are the blindsides that the No Garbage Left Behind Act will follow. The first phase of this project will run in Fall 2019 with hopes to continue in 2020.