Message to Illegal Dumpers: We Will Fine You and Impound Your Vehicles

By Edward Grayson, Commissioner, NYC Sanitation

Contractor bags full of dirt. Old televisions with cracked screens. Wood framing from a construction site. Worn-out tires. Torn mattresses.

New Yorkers disposing of these items have a legal responsibility to do so properly, and yet we see these items — and much, much more — routinely left on the sides of residential and industrial streets throughout the five boroughs. In this calendar year alone, we have received more than 20,000 requests for cleanup and enforcement of illegal dumping.

The crime of illegal dumping is a theft of public space by private entities, all of whom are legally and morally required to put trash in its proper place. If you are a business, the law says you must contract with a private carter to haul your trash away. And if you are a resident, there is no need to take your regular residential trash anywhere — we will collect up to six bags or bundles per pick-up, right in front of your home. If you hire a contractor to perform work on your home, you must verify that they will properly dispose of the generated waste.

Those looking to evade the law and bring their trash to an out-of-the-way street or vacant lot are on notice: If you are caught dumping trash from a vehicle, fines start at $4,000, and the vehicle will be impounded, whether you own it or not.

To send a clear message to New Yorkers that this will not be tolerated, we began a program of concentrated enforcement in neighborhoods where illegal dumping is most prominent. We started in East New York, where, in a two-week period, we issued 24 summonses for illegal dumping, 15 summonses for littering from a motor vehicle, 9 summonses for improper disposal and additional summonses for related violations. We also impounded 16 vehicles and made 1 arrest.

Our teams then went to Hunts Point, where they impounded nine vehicles engaged in illegal dumping, and issued 7 illegal dumping summonses for vehicle operators and 8 illegal dumping summonses for vehicle owners. Also during this time, Sanitation Police issued 9 violations for littering from a motor vehicle and 4 vehicle/traffic violations.

These efforts have been covered in The City, News 12, Pix 11 and other local media outlets.

We plan to continue this blitz in areas most plagued by illegal dumping, with the hope of getting a clear message out to would-be illegal dumpers. And, partnering with local elected officials, we are beginning to place cameras in strategic locations to give us additional eyes on the street. These cameras are mobile and can easily be moved from one spot to another.

We encourage anyone who witnesses illegal dumping to call 311 immediately. In addition, we have two programs that provide awards to people who witness and report illegal dumping:

• Illegal Dumping Award Program: Complete an affidavit after witnessing illegal dumping. When the lawbreaker is fined, the witness is eligible for 50 percent of the fine that the City collects. If the lawbreaker challenges the ticket at the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings (OATH) hearing, the witness must attend.
• Illegal Dumping Tip Program: Anyone who tips off the City — so that we can catch an illegal dumper in the act — is eligible for a reward of up to 50% of the fine collected. The tipster’s identity remains confidential — so he or she won’t have to appear at an Environmental Control Board hearing.

As with all our enforcement actions, the end goal is compliance. We will write summonses for several thousand dollars if necessary. But what we really want is for all New Yorkers to obey the law so that residents in all five boroughs can enjoy clean, safe streets.