Department of Sanitation cleans up NYC highways
The Department of Sanitation has a dedicated highway operations team to clean up NYC highways every day.
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The Department of Sanitation has a dedicated highway operations team that cleans up NYC highways daily.
"Highways are the gateway to our city and the first thing you see. And we always want to make a good first impression. And that's what we are doing right now... making sure every highway is clean and beautiful," said Joseph Signorile, deputy chief of DSNY.
DSNY sends out six crews daily, with about eight workers with each crew. There are many different trucks in the convoy. Some sweep garbage, others compact it and two trucks handle traffic flow. DSNY staff tell News 12 they prioritize safety when cleaning highways, especially during busy hours on the roads.
"We have two safety officers with us. We have two brooms. We have two attenuators, which are the most important part of the vehicles in the back. They make sure we stay safe," said Signorile.
The trucks in each convoy can hole up to 20,000 pounds of trash. DSNY said crews pick up more than 5,000 pounds of trash on Bronx highways daily.
Common items picked up include bottles, cans, tissue paper and car parts. Crews will pick up the large items and let the trucks sweep away the remaining debris.
DSNY said people should call 311 if they see trash on the highway.
