A new study released May 12 highlights a disconnect between New Yorkers’ attitudes toward littering and their own behavior — with Bronx residents among the worst offenders.
The Sanitation Foundation, a nonprofit affiliated with the city’s Department of Sanitation, surveyed more than 1,000 residents across the five boroughs. While 80% of respondents agreed that littering is a problem in the city, nearly half of Bronx residents — 47% — admitted they don’t always dispose of their trash properly. That figure is significantly higher than the citywide average of 38%.
The report also found that 14% of respondents were classified as “chronic litterers,” meaning they rarely throw away trash correctly when outdoors. This group was more likely to be men between the ages of 18 and 34, and more likely to live in the Bronx or Queens.
Among the boroughs, the report revealed the Bronx had the city’s highest percentage of chronic litterers at 18%, compared to 16% in Queens, 13% in Brooklyn and Staten Island and 8% in Manhattan.
The report also examined the reasons why people throw trash on the ground. The two most common excuses for chronic litterers were “I was in a hurry” and having no trash can nearby.
At the same time, chronic litterers were more likely than non-litterers to say that littering “makes it feel like no one cares,” and nearly half acknowledged that trash on the ground attracts rats.
The Sanitation Foundation is using the survey results to shape a new public awareness campaign featuring the slogan: “Don’t Do New York City Dirty.”
Signs will soon begin popping up on buses, billboards and storefronts all over the city, and the campaign will also feature an interactive art installation in Cooper Square and video ads starring notable New Yorkers.
Although the report had some bad news for the Bronx, it offered some signs of hope for a lessening of the unsightly trash problem.
The survey found that 67% of New Yorkers have taken some kind of action against littering, whether picking up garbage themselves, calling out a friend or family member for littering or calling 311.
Reach Emily Swanson at eswanson@schnepsmedia.com or (646) 717-0015. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes
