One week after a blizzard virtually shut down New York City and left mountains of snow taller than most humans, the Department of Sanitation has slowly resumed collecting garbage, for the first time since Christmas.
"We are able to resume garbage pickups now that significant progress has been made in clearing away the aftermath of last Sunday's massive blizzard," said Sanitation Commissioner John J. Doherty in a statement. Trash removal resumed today, but only for those on a Monday pick-up schedule.
Those unlucky Bayside residents not on a Monday schedule may come home from their Monday commutes to front sidewalks littered with dying Christmas trees and overstuffed garbage bags.
Garbage also lines bus stops, blocking passengers as they wait for public transportation.
"It stinks that there's so much garbage there," said Dr. Robert Morea, proprietor of Bay Terrace Physical Therapy, on Bell Blvd. Along the block, receptacles and trash bags were lined up into a wall of garbage, with no chinks.
"You had the [garbage from] the holidays, and the all the extra garbage because people had parties. It would have been nice to have it all clear," Morea said.
Meanwhile, piles bookend the driveways of the Bay Country apartment complex across the street from the Bay Terrace Shopping Center, despite pick-ups generally scheduled for Tuesdays.
Community Board 11 Chair Jerry Iannece, who said he first defended DSNYs snow removal efforts, said has received numerous complaints about slow snow removal and now garbage.
"People are starting to pile it up on top of what's there," Iannece added, pointing out that on the flip side, the city is quick to write tickets for improper garbage disposal.
Morea also sensed a double standard, saying "You can't be late with your taxes, but they can be late picking up garbage."
