DSNY Chief Inspects Home Depot Neighborhood Amid Trash Complaints

By Idy Perl

The DSNY Chief visited the Home Depot area, which has been an issue for years about the mess near Home Depot on Norstrand Avenue, but lately, the situation has gotten even worse. 

Migrants and food vendors have made their presence known on Norstrand Avenue, Willoughby Avenue, and Walworth Street. Several Jewish girl’s schools and a public school are located on those blocks, and the mess is affecting those nearby institutions. The food remains and bodily waste littering the street attract unsavory rodents and fill the air with unpleasant smells, which raise health concerns for the many children passing by every day.

One of the school managers from the area recently spoke with a sanitation worker who admitted that other parts of the city get cleaned more often than Williamsburg because they receive more complaints. “Areas that call 311 to complain about garbage on the streets receive increased sanitation services,” the sanitation worker reported. 

Several complaints have been made to both the NYPD 79th Precinct and the sanitation department, and multiple meetings have occurred in recent months addressing this issue. Community Affairs officers from the NYPD and the Sanitation Department have promised to hold Home Depot accountable for maintaining the area in front of their store.

Although the NYPD and Sanitation Department made significant efforts to address the problem, to the much-delighted neighbors and schools in the area, neighbors report that the issue has resurfaced with the arrival of summer, and additional cleanups and ongoing monitoring are needed to fully resolve the situation.