Borough President James Oddo and District Attorney Michael E. McMahon announced today they are continuing their partnership to encourage small, organized groups who are interested in hosting cleanups in their neighborhoods to do so.
“We continue to combat the war on litter and thank those Staten Islanders who have taken the extra step to clean up their neighborhoods,” said Borough President Oddo. “We are calling on constituents to help us in this fight, and are grateful to those doing their part to correct this self-inflicted problem.”
The Borough President and District Attorney want to caution groups to hold clean ups only where it is safe to do so, exercise safety at all times, and only clean on good quality air days.
“I have lived on Staten Island all my life and unfortunately these are the absolute filthiest conditions as to litter and graffiti I have ever seen,” said DA McMahon. “All City agencies responsible and their leadership should be ashamed! People who litter and commit graffiti vandalism should also be ashamed, and wherever we can, will be prosecuted. Meanwhile, the citizens of Staten Island must come to the rescue. As the weather gets nicer and we begin spending more time outdoors, it’s important now more than ever that we ensure our communities are kept safe and clean. Building on the success of our anti-litter initiative, I am proud to announce my office is once again partnering with Borough President Oddo to take on this important issue. We have been greatly encouraged to see community groups have joined our call to action to help beautify our borough through regular community cleanups, and we look forward to many more clean-ups in the months ahead.”
Local groups who are interested in hosting a cleanup and need a site to clean or need support with supplies – including masks, garbage bags, and/or gloves – should email Irene Maiello at imaiello@statenislandusa.com or Lisa Thompson at Lisa.Thompson@rcda.nyc.gov.
Groups are asked to organize themselves and take necessary safety precautions, including:
Keep groups to 10 people or less
Practice social distancing
Wear a mask and gloves
Stay hydrated
Do not handle illicit drug paraphernalia or potentially dangerous items, report them to 311
Those who participate are encouraged to post before and after photos on social media with the hashtag #SILitterHero to be re-posted by both office’s social media accounts.