A stinky step street has residents in Claremont Village taking the long way home.

The stairwell connects East 169th Street from Clay Avenue at the top to Webster Avenue at the bottom, creating a shortcut for neighbors to cross the borough. However, residents say the stairs are regularly littered with trash. News 12 cameras saw bottles of broken glass, dirty diapers, busted bedframes, half-eaten food and more.

Some residents say the situation makes them want to avoid the shortcut rather than climbing over garbage. One woman also brought up the need for additional streetlights to illuminate the stairwell she calls “spooky” once the sun goes down.

The Department of Sanitation told News 12 its “Targeted Neighborhood Task Force” has been responsible for cleaning the stairs since 2022 and does so regularly, including ten times this year. The agency said, “All New Yorkers have a legal responsibility to put trash in its proper place – NOT on a public step street. Those who treat public spaces as their personal dumping grounds are violating the law and can be fined.”