Cypress Hills Street and Vermont Place on July 7 (Facebook)
Aug. 24, 2020 By Michael Dorgan
The NYC Department of Sanitation caught six people carrying out illegal dumping in Liberty Park last month.
DSNY officers nabbed the offenders over a two week period following tip-offs from Council Member Bob Holden.
The agency began investigating the illegal activity after Holden came across piles of rubbish strewn out along Cypress Hills Street and Vermont Place on July 7.
DSNY said their officers caught several people pulling up to spots in the surrounding area and dumping their trash in the weeks that followed.
For example, DSNY agents observed a driver pull over on Cypress Hills Street on July 19 and dump one cubic yard of household waste onto the ground. The trash was stuffed into black bags and one of the bags contained a chandelier, the agency said.
Days later two people hopped out of a truck on Cypress Avenue and illegally dumped a mattress and a box spring onto a grass area, DSNY said.
In another incident on Cypress Avenue, a driver pulled in directly behind another car on July 28 and placed several black bags at a similar area, the agency said.
The agency thanked Council Member Holden for making them aware of the locations and urged residents to call 311 if they witness any illegal dumping.
Kathryn Garcia (via NYC Housing Authority)
“Now more than ever we depend on our partnership with City residents to help us keep the city clean,” Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia said in a statement.
“There’s even a reward program available with a financial award to the tipster,” Garcia said.
Vehicle owners caught illegally dumping can be fined as much as $20,000 and individuals who make the complaint can receive up to half of that amount as a reward, according to the DSNY.
Council Member Robert Holden said that illegal dumping has been a problem in the district for a very long time because there are a lot of open spaces at surrounding parks, cemeteries and railroad tracks.
Holden said that the COVID-19 pandemic and budget crisis have made matters even worse.
“I am grateful to Commissioner Garcia and the Sanitation Police Officers who have been responsive to our neighborhood’s complaints during this time,” Holden said.
“And I urge everyone to do their part to stop illegal dumping and respect our city,” he added.
