It’s a choice between junk or skunk.
The city has to leave food scraps to rot in the Ridge for a whole week in order to do more bulk pickup, Department of Sanitation reps told a meeting of Community Board 10 on Aug. 22, explaining that New York’s Strongest needed to cut back organics collection from two pickups a week down to one in Bay Ridge to focus on the area’s need for bulk pickups, which cannot be done while collecting organics in dual-bin trucks that have separate, smaller compartments for trash and scraps.
“You can’t put large bulk items in a dual-bin truck. This is the first or second — depending on the month — district in the city in terms of bulk disposal,” said Henry Ehrhardt, a spokesman for the department. “You guys are up at the plateau, that’s a huge problem when you’ve got dual-bin trucks.”
But residents complained that their food-waste containers reek after sitting out in the sun for a week. Ridgite Joe Cacciola suggested that the department pick up organics more frequently during the summer months, but sanitation officials said that would be unrealistic.
“You just can’t do a seasonal pick up like that,” said department spokesman Ignazio Terranova. “You got to take into consideration the trucks that are going to be out there, the logistics in terms of the routes. You just can’t turn this on and off like a light switch.”
Cacciola said he understands the issues a seasonal pickup schedule would present, but that the reeking trash he had to deal with was no joke.
“Of course it’s difficult, but it’s also really difficult to have all that food sitting around for a week,” he said.
Last year, Ridgites raised a ruckus over the lack of bulk pickups, which left junk at the curb for weeks at a time.
Staffers for Councilman Justin Brannan (D–Bay Ridge) said his office supported anything that helped speed up bulk pickups in the district.
“One of the things we noticed earlier in the year when we took office was an increase in complaints about beds, furniture and bulk items out on the streets for longer periods of time,” said Chris McCreight, Brannan’s chief of staff. “We understand why they need to make it easier for bulk pick up, which is great, we’re starting to see the effects of that now.”
McCreight said he believes there are things residents can do keep their food scraps from stinking up the neighborhood, even with the reduced collection.
“I think it can be done, I think we just need to make sure everybody knows the right days that they’re supposed to put it out,” McCreight said. “Once they get accustomed to that I think it’s going to be good.”
The organics collection program rolled out in Bay Ridge more than four years ago.
