Department of Sanitation's lot cleaning unit cleans dumping ground in Baychester
The Department of Sanitation has a dedicated team to clean up illegal dumping grounds throughout the city.
More Stories
News 12 captured the Department of Sanitation's team cleaning up a dumping ground on Givan Avenue in Baychester.
Officials told our crews they found weeds, rats, food remains, and generally a large amount of trash sprawled across the empty lot.
The agency has a dedicated team focused on cleaning illegal dumping grounds. The team recieves complaints through 311 and local elected officials, then they inspect the site. If the site is city-owned, DSNY can respond immediately and clean it. If it's privately-owned, DSNY sends the property owner a letter giving them five days to clean up the lot. If the lot is not cleaned in time, the agency steps in and cleans it. The bill? It gets sent right to the property owner.
"The hope of this is that when we come out for the second inspection, that the owner received the letter and did the cleanup themselves. And we have a clean city," said Frank Lettera, the assistant chief of DSNY.
Lettera told News 12 his team stepped in to clean 16 privately-owned lots in the Bronx in fiscal year 2025. He also said there are more than 750 vacant lots throughout the borough.
DSNY said if you're bothered by an illegal dumping ground, call 311 or your local elected officials.
