NY1 For You: Illegal Dumping No Longer A Problem On Bensonhurst Street
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Some residents in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn have struggled with illegal dumping on their street for years, but thanks to NY1 For You the area recently got a makeover. NY1's Susan Jhun filed this NY1 For You follow-up report. A stretch of 64th Street in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn used to be a real mess before residents contacted NY1 For You and the station got it cleaned up.
"There was continuous dumping, trash on the sidewalks, taking down, degrading the neighborhood," says local resident John Bartolomeo. "Since you've been here we've seen a lot of clean-up."
Neighbors first reached out to NY1 for help back in December, after years of battling illegal dumping on their street.
NY1 reached out to the Department of Sanitation and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which owns two vacant lots along the street.
After the station called MTA New York City Transit, the agency came out and posted "No Dumping" signs, and residents say after NY1 contacted the Department of Sanitation, the area went through a transformation.
"What we like now is we can stand out here and enjoy it on a nice sunny morning in the past you'd pretty much have to watch where you step," says Bartolomeo.
"Finally, after Channel 1 come, we see a little clean," says resident Vittoro Asprea.
Sanitation officials has already caught dumpers in the act and has promised to continue to patrol the street.
"Thank you again. You did a very good job, the people notice. The people talk about it and we hope it stays this way," says Asprea.