New York Daily Photo Analytics

Saturday, May 12, 2007

Garbage a la Mode

I'm only disappointed that I didn't get a photo that better represents the level at which the trash situation gets in NYC. In this photo, one can see that efforts have at least been made to place trash in a proper (but over filled) receptacle by perching it around the rim a la mode. Frequently trash is also piled around the base, loose and in bags. This is a typical scenario in most heavily trafficked areas, particularly where there is no private group providing additional services. What? you ask. Yes, that is correct - in spite of our heavy tax load and cost of living in New York, private organizations have been formed to properly manage and provide better services for many things which are the responsibility of local government and for which we pay taxes. Like picking up the garbage, which is not done frequently enough in many areas. Groups like the SOHO Alliance, the Fund for Park Avenue or The Central Park Conservancy provide a level of services resulting in a standard of living more acceptable to residents. A similar scenario is seen in the apartment rental market where repairs are often better done by the tenant at his/her own expense rather than by the landlord. Waiting for those responsible to do their job is frequently a formula for frustration - taking things into ones own hands is sometimes the only sensible recourse. No NYC trash statistics or tutorial today - perhaps another time ...

6 comments:

indieperfumes said...

a huge problem, they really do need to pick up the trash more often in heavy traffic areas and clean there streets more often. It is much cleaner than it used to be in NYC, because people make more effort not to throw their trash on the ground instead of in cans, but it is still bad. When it overflows like this plastic bags float around in the winds and get caught in the tree branches and there they stay till the wind and rain shred them down over time. Not going to even go into the rodents and others that this type of thing promotes...

Lavenderlady said...

If a solution is found...share it. this problem also occurs elsewhere. I guess we could take the approach that is used when we visit the wilderness trails...pack your trash out.

Brian Dubé said...

There just has to be a bigger priority on this type of quality of life issue. Things were worse when dog poop was everywhere in the 1970s - people just lived with it. Once people were made aware of the problem and laws were enforced, things changed.
Brian

Anonymous said...

Can you imagine the total amount of trash the city puts out each day? Monumental piles. I like your photo. We ate in the park yesterday and their containers were full too.

I have celebrated this day, Mother's Day in my country, with a magazine cover for my wife. I hope you can see it.

Merisi said...

I was in Salzburg (Austria) yesterday, an hour after the city marathon had ended, and the streets around Mirabell Garden were as clean as ever, some even watered down, "washed". The same in Vienna, they have excellent trash pick-up. After a year and a half of living here, I am still amazed with the speed with which city clean-up moves in after small and large events. I have seen pick-up crews literarally waiting around the corner to start clean-up as soon as the event ended. From what I have seen in other cities, Vienna could well have some of the swiftest clean-up crews around!
Dog owners are right now agressivly targeted with a "move your dog's out-put" campaign, at times they seem to think their dog taxes justify bad manners.

JT said...

Last Night's Garbage - a photoblog documenting garbage on the streets of NYC.

http://LastNightsGarbage.com