On Thursday, June 15, BP Oddo joined with DSNY Commissioner Kathryn Garcia to kick off the “Own the 18” weekend. This program, which was first announced in May, encourages Staten Islanders to help improve the litter problem by simply complying with New York City law to clean the sidewalk and 18 inches into the street in front of their properties.

At the event, BP Oddo and Commissioner Garcia discussed the importance of bringing attention to the 18 inch law in order to make progress with the litter problem facing Staten Island.

“What we’re trying to do is encourage Staten Islanders to be a part of the solution,” BP Oddo noted. “On the weekend of June 18th, we want Staten Island property owners to go out and spend five minutes cleaning up the sidewalk and 18 inches into the street in front of their property. Litter is needless, and we have to change the mindset and the culture around littering. It is not normal, it is not acceptable and it should not be a part of everyday life on Staten Island, and that is an ongoing struggle.”

Commissioner Garcia encouraged community involvement, saying, “We need the public. We can't keep New York City clean by ourselves, especially when we see people littering. We hope that ‘Own the 18’ brings more awareness of the 18 inch law and that people get involved in keeping their community clean.”

You can sign up to "Own the 18" here.

On Wednesday, May 10th, Borough President James S. Oddo announced “Own the 18,” a new anti-litter program. “Own the 18” will encourage home and business owners to remove litter from their property, as well as 18 inches into the street, as required by NYC Administrative Code: Section 16-118(2)(a).
 
During the weekend of June 18 (June 16-18), BP Oddo is asking Staten Island property and business owners to commit to taking a few moments to clean in front of their properties. Those who participate can post before and after photos on social media with the hashtag #ownthe18 to be reposted by the office’s social media accounts.
 
“This is our latest initiative to push back against a litter problem that continues to be out of control,” noted BP Oddo. “We are picking one weekend, June 16-18, and asking all property owners to actively clean up the sidewalk and 18 inches into the street. This should be happening every day, but the reality is that it isn’t. We are hoping that by having a call to arms for one weekend, we can educate property owners about the 18 inch law and enlist more Staten Islanders in this battle. Our litter problem is a self-inflicted one that Staten Islanders are doing to other Staten Islanders. We can’t blame historic inequities or anyone else for it. I know the majority of Staten Islanders are not engaging in it, but we need the majority to help us with the solution. Ultimately, we have a legal and moral obligation to clean in front of our properties. We are not looking to lead with the summons book, but we want to challenge as many Staten Islanders as possible to join us on the weekend of June 16, 17, and 18 and beyond.”

“Like Borough President Oddo and many other Staten Islanders, I am sickened by the amount of litter I see dumped on our beautiful borough every day,” said Council Member Steven Matteo. “I have worked with the Borough President, this administration and my City Council colleagues to secure significant resources to tackle this problem, including a dedicated Staten Island Clean Team that has removed thousands of pounds of litter and large debris at hundreds of locations across the borough– but we need more help. My hope is this initiative becomes more than a singular event to raise awareness about littering, but rather a call to action for Staten Islanders to take their trash-strewn streets back, to take some real pride in their communities and to make ‘Own the 18’ a mantra to live by every single day.”
 
“New Yorkers want and deserve a clean and safe city and this unique event being organized by Staten Island Borough President Oddo is an important step in making that goal a reality. When the Mayor was out here last month, we took a walking tour with Borough President Oddo and 18 inch violations were apparent. It’s every property owners’ responsibility to keep that area clean and this innovative event will both remind and encourage Staten Islanders to pitch in,” said Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia.
 
Click here to sign up to "Own the 18."

​More great news in the fight against litter! On Friday, April 14th, Mayor de Blasio announced the addition of two-person Sanitation crews to address the issue. The crews will manually sweep and collect trash on sidewalks, streets and other public locations. The crews will be deployed across the borough three times a week for 32 weeks a year.
 
"We are doing everything we can on all fronts to combat litter," said BP Oddo. "This includes enforcement and education, but the bottom line is we must continue to remove it whenever and wherever it appears."
 
"There's a litter problem that isn't being addressed, and it's going to take some work by our sanitation workers, but we will put funding in the budget to allow that to happen at key sites all around Staten Island," said Mayor de Blasio.
 
Our office will continue to send our Clean Team out several times a week to tackle particularly dirty or overgrown locations.

In the spirit of classic PSAs, last year, Staten Island Borough President James S. Oddo held a contest asking Staten Islanders to get out the message of cleaning up our borough by recording their own anti-litter PSA. The contest – which had 6 finalists – was eventually won by Staten Island Tech student Aria Mutkowski. Again this year, BP Oddo is asking for homemade PSAs to get the word out.

Starting today, and running through June 18, residents are urged to get creative and film a PSA with the message of children teaching adults not to litter. The anti-litter videos, which he expects will be made using camera phones or more professional cameras, should be at least 15 seconds long and not exceed three minutes in length.

“What better way to reach Staten Islanders than by tapping into the creativity of Staten Islanders?” said Borough President Oddo.  “Anyone with a smartphone or camera can join in and show off their community spirit, while showing, in a pithy way, why litter is wrong and hurts our community. We’ve found that kids teach parents, so we’d like to see this translated into this year’s PSAs.”

To enter the contest, Staten Islanders are encouraged to post their videos on the Borough President’s official Twitter (Twitter.com/StatenIslUSA) page with the hashtag #SILitterPSA or email the link for their submission to Anthony Basile at abasile@statenislandusa.com by 5 PM on June 18, 2015. 

After receiving all submissions, he and his staff will pick their favorite PSAs and then leave it to the public to pick the winner. Those five best PSAs will be voted on by Staten Islanders. ​