Neighbors, Let's Talk About All The Trash In Carroll Gardens

Neighbors, have you noticed how absolutely filthy our neighborhood has become? Everywhere one looks, there is litter on the sidewalk and in the streets. The worst are Smith and Court Street, where the public garbage cans are overflowing with refuse on a regular basis. Why is that?

When I first moved into Carroll Gardens in 1985, it was a working class Italian neighborhood. Sure there was garbage littering the streets, but many residents regularly swept in front of their houses and kept an eye on neighbors who did not.  It certainly was a lot cleaner than it is now.

These days, brownstones in Carroll Gardens sell for millions, but it sure does not look like a million dollar neighborhood around here.  Just look at the photos above, which we took in the past few days.

Our streets are a lot busier than they were just a decade ago. There are definitively more residents living here now as several tall developments have been constructed here.  Also, our local eateries attract people from other neighborhoods and there is a whole lot more foot traffic, especially on the week-ends.  

All this should prompt our local government to make sure that we get the proper trash pick-up.  Obviously, that has not been the case judging by how full the public trashcans are.  

So what can we do about this?

-Obviously,  produce less trash ourselves and pick up after ourselves.  We also are responsible for sweeping the sidewalks in front of our own houses.

-Make sure people know that the public trashcans are not for residential trash. (Too many times, local residents just dump their trash bags and broken pieces of furniture at the corner.

-Talk to the business owners on Court and Smith Streets to ask that they join in the effort.  

It is their responsibility to keep the sidewalk and curb of their establishment clean. 

-Call 311 and make a complaint to the Sanitation Department.

-Contact Community Board 6 at  718 643-3027 or Info@BrooklynCB6.org to ask for help in addressing this problem

-Make a call to Councilman Brad Lander's office at 718-499-1090.
Councilman Lander, who is now in his third term (thanks to the 2008  Council vote granting then-Mayor Bloomberg and City officials an exemption to the two-term limit) should be advocating for proper services that better reflect our current community need.

Frankly, in the past few months, we have received more emails from his office regarding the upcoming national election than anything concerning his constituents' more local needs. Until he is elected into higher office, if he chooses to seek it, his primary concern should be his district, not Washington.

More development is on the horizon if the proposed Gowanus Rezoning, backed by Councilman Lander, goes through. The rezoning from manufacturing to residential will bring thousands more to the neighborhood. How will we cope if we are not getting the simple services like proper trash pick up we need now?

We need to get a handle on this situation.  Carroll Park is overrun with rats, people have reported seeing rats in their front yards, our children walk past overflowing, smelly garbage on their way to and from school.  Is this really happening in our 'beautiful brownstone neighborhood?

We would love to hear what you have to say and encourage you to help come up with a solution.

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Since When Has It Become Okay For Carroll Gardens To Look So Dirty?

(photo credit: Theresa Bartenope)

 (photo credit: Theresa Bartenope)

(photo credit: Theresa Bartenope)

Just before the New Year, I received an email from Carroll Gardener Theresa Bartenope, who was wondering when it became okay for our lovely neighborhood to look so dirty. The email was accompanied by photos showing trash-strewn streets.

Theresa writes:

I am a life long resident of Carroll Gardens. In fact, my three year old granddaughter represents the fifth generation of our family to live in Carroll Gardens. Needless to say, Carroll Gardens is my home and I love it! I am, perhaps, among the minority of "leftovers" who has always embraced the many ways in which our community has evolved. And though it is not the neighborhood I grew up in, it is certainly a more diverse, interesting and exciting place to live.

But of course, change does not come without some disappointment. When I was growing up in Carroll Gardens the sidewalks and streets were clean. Store and homeowners took care to keep the sidewalks and streets tidy. Residents were careful with their trash, parents taught children to toss trash into cans and everyone benefited from it. As I walk the same streets today, I see so much litter it actually breaks my heart! I wonder every day, when did it become okay for Carroll Gardens to look like this?

I could probably list at least a handful of reasons for the trash being strewn about, but the greater question is how do we remedy this problem? I have been brainstorming to come up with solutions, none of which seem easy to accomplish. I thought, just maybe, that bringing the issue to everyone's attention in a post might help. Perhaps folks will make a greater effort. Sometimes simply raising awareness helps.

I thank you for hearing me out. And again thank you for loving Carroll Gardens and for sharing you chronicles with us.

Regards,
Theresa Bartenope

I could not agree more with Theresa. When I moved here 32 years ago, local residents did seem to take more pride in keeping Carroll Gardens looking its best. Every morning, my elderly Italian neighbors were out on the sidewalk, sweeping up. It did not take long for them to let my husband and I know that the same was expected of us, the new 'kids on the block.'

These days, trash is everywhere. Personally, I find it embarrassing to walk through the neighborhood with out-of-town friends. Yes, they admire all the pretty brownstones lining the streets, but they also notice the litter.
The problem seems to have gotten worse, especially now that it is cold outside, which obviously discourages people from cleaning up in front of their property.
For the past few months, Carroll Park has been overrun by rats. No doubt, the problem is a reflection of how dirty the neighborhood has become.  The Park's Department has been baiting, but our first line of defense should be to pick up after ourselves.

Perhaps we can do something about this as a community in 2018?  Can we all make an effort to keep our streets clean, pick up after our dogs and teach our kids to put litter in its place?

 

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