DeB’s all trash talk, no action: E. Village
This stinks! East Village residents are having to endure the stench from a convoy of city garbage trucks that are parked on their residential block — even though Mayor de Blasio promised to end the malodorous practice months ago.
“It’s like a wall of stench as you approach 10th Street. It’s unbelievable,” fumed resident Michelle Lang, 49.
Lang called it “upsetting that our mayor thinks it’s OK to be running around the country, running for president and leaving garbage trucks parked outside of people’s homes.”
“That could be his campaign slogan: Garbage trucks for everyone,” she said bitterly.
The four trucks sit on East 10th Street, between First and Second avenues, overnight from 7 p.m. to around 6 a.m., and all day Sunday.
De Blasio promised to clean up the problem in September when a reporter asked him about it at an unrelated news conference.
“The bottom line to your question — do we want garbage trucks parked on residential streets? Of course not,” Hizzoner said.
He vowed to talk to Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia to “figure out what we can do to relieve the immediate pressure.”
“We certainly don’t want those residential areas to feel the burden,” he claimed,
But residents haven’t seen — or smelled — any changes.
“Yes, a lot of the trucks are lined up here at night, and it’s so f--king annoying,” said Monica, a 27-yearold local who declined to give her last name.
“I’ll hold my nose when I leave for work so I don’t breathe in putrid smell at 5:45 a.m.,” she added. “I wouldn’t recommend moving to this block unless you enjoy smelling rotten eggs.”
A local college student, Olivia Garcia, echoed the complaints.
“The trucks contribute to the entire street smelling like trash,” the 20-year-old told The Post. “They give the neighborhood a garbage vibe.”
She added: “It’s the first thing I’ll see in the morning when I walk outside, I’d rather walk on a different street than 10th.”
City Councilwoman Carlina Rivera (D-East Village) blamed the situation on the Sanitation Department having lost its lease on a West 30th Street garage when its owner sold it to a developer — and said it’s time to fix the problem once and for all.
“For nearly a year, residents have tried in vain to make their voices heard over the noise of idling garbage trucks,” she said. “But the only thing they’ve gotten back from this mayor is broken promises.
“It is long past time that Mayor de Blasio and Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia determine an alternate site for these vehicles,” she added.
A City Hall spokesman told The Post that it is looking for a new garage to house the trucks but wouldn’t say when they might be moved indoors.
“We are actively evaluating parking options for these trucks that keep them near the neighborhood they serve,” de Blasio spokesman Seth Stein said.