Clean City Alliance: Keeping Streets Clean and Improving Quality of Life

In late June, we officially launched the Clean City Alliance – deploying privately-funded, dedicated workforce teams year-round to provide supplemental sanitation services to busy commercial corridors across the city. This momentous kick-off was marked by Mayor Eric Adams, Commissioner Jessica Tisch, and Sanitation Foundation Board Chair Caryl Englander at City Hall.

We’ve begun cleaning services in our two pilot locations in central Brooklyn – Bed-Stuy and Crown Heights – and are already seeing a remarkable change in the appearance of these busy commercial areas. Every day, from 8 AM to 4 PM, a total of 50 blocks (or 5 block miles) are serviced by teams of workers, helping to keep commercial corridors such as Nostrand Avenue and Utica Avenue thriving. We look forward to rolling this program out to locations in all five boroughs in the future.

Since launching the program in June, our teams of workers have collected over 62,000 Ibs of litter along Nostrand Avenue and over 68,000 Ibs of litter along Utica Avenue, accounting for a combined total of over 130,000 Ibs!

The goal of the Clean City Alliance is to expand the use of privately-funded cleaning operations to neighborhoods that cannot currently support a Business Improvement District (BID). BIDs typically provide services above and beyond what the city can offer to a limited geographical area. For BIDs, supplemental street cleaning and trash removal are a priority and the largest part of their budgets. There are 76 BIDs citywide, and each is run by a not-for-profit organization with an elected Board of Directors. The Board must include property owners, business owners, and local elected officials. They are funded by special taxes on local property owners.

However, not all of NYC’s commercial corridors can financially support a BID. That’s why we have selected highly-trafficked neighborhoods not serviced by BIDs. We provide privately-funded supplemental sanitation, including daily street cleaning teams that conduct litter removal and empty litter baskets, and work with community leaders to build capacity and ownership, so that it can eventually become self-sustaining. We are also hoping to create stable full-time jobs in communities with limited resources and build a replicable model that will improve the quality of life and help businesses thrive throughout the city.

Cleanliness is essential for the growth and success of any busy commercial area. Cleaner streets can help attract more customers and improve the reputation of an area, thus increasing property values. But there are also less tangible benefits of cleanliness, such as creating a positive impression and pride in the community, reducing health hazards, and strengthening the community as a whole.

Residents and business owners have vocalized their support of the Clean City Alliance, and have already seen the positive impact of this program.

“The streets have been clean, and you can't see any litter on the streets anymore.” said Crown Heights resident Zach Kelly.

The program is also inspiring business owners to support a BID of their own.

“I love what they are doing,” said Francois, owner of J. Francois Printing. “There were talks of doing a BID years ago, but then it just fizzled out. I would love it if we could get one.”

“It's beautiful, and we need our BID,” said Hooper, owner of Best Wine and Liquor. “Everyone should chip in to start a BID.”

“We would love something permanent to create jobs for the street cleaners, and it reminds the business owners to let them know they should clean their premises,” said Funso, owner of the restaurant Akara House. “It motivates them, and we’d like to have a BID soon.”