However, it has big drawback in terms of convenience: The bins sit inside a building. Space is valuable and people who don't live in the building have no access to it.
The program does, however, potentially reduce the number of bins entities like Viltex find profitable to place around.
BTW, can I get readers to post the locations of bins that have already been tagged by Sanitation, and are awaiting removal?
there is a bin on Prospect place and nostrand that had its Sanitation tag and crayon numbers covered by a poster so there it still sits 2 months later.
"Summonses are not issued, a department spokeswoman explained, based on the theory that those distributing the bins have factored any fines into the cost of doing business."
"Once found by Sanitation Department enforcement officers or reported by residents to the city’s 311 help line, an illegal bin is tagged and the owner has 30 days to remove it."
So, here is the order of events: 1. Bin is placed.
2. Someone complains about bin.
3. Sanitation tags the bin.
4. Over the course of the next 30 days, the tag may be removed by the company, or the bin moved.
5. If the bin remains, Sanitation can remove it. However, Sanitation doesn't know that it is still there.
I saw a bin on Atlantic between the Armory at Bedford and the adjoining auto repair shop that has a sticker partly pulled off. This plus the one I mentioned before at Nostrand and Prospct gives you 2 for your list, whynot.
For now, just worry about the bins that are already tagged.
But a quick and dirty way determine the property line is to look at the fence line in either direction. Sidewalk cafes, trash cans, etc. all are supposed to be within the line.
Seriously, the fence is not often the property line. The city often owns right up to the first step of house and even has right to remove a stoop if they want to widen street. So the fence is just an allowed curtesy of the city. I have seen this to be true on my own properties and confirmed it with HPD. In one case the fence is over a 100 years old yet sits four feet on city property! Every property is unique to the survey. The city won't inforce a missplaced fence until it is reported or becomes issue.
Cafes have to keep 8 feet of sidewalk from curb clear.
As a rule of thumb, the city has 15 feet from the curb. As @Dawndew noted, quite often, stoops and fences are on city property, particularly on residential streets.
However, we cannot just put anything infront of our houses even if it is within your property line. These faux charity bins are in fact a commercial enterprise and perhaps not allowed on a residential front yard or sidewalk.
The effort now has enough momentum that a State AM is making statements about how he wants a change to laws at either the state or city level. In other words, disliking these bins is a calculated win:
Comments
Asking for a hypothetical friend.
I'd estimate an empty bin to be about 500 lbs., so you'd get about $30 (500 x $0.06) at one of the local scrap yards.
This is based on an assumption that local scrap yards (such as the one by the Gowanus Lowe's) pay similar prices to this place: http://rockawayrecycling.com/scrap-metal-pictures/scrap-metal-prices/
My hope is that Sanitation sells them for scrap (as opposed to selling them to someone who just puts them back out on the street).
As a result, I suspect Sanitation spends far more money retrieving bins than it gets back.
With a ‘Charitable Veneer,’ Littering the Streets With Collection Bins
By DAVID GONZALEZ
JULY 6, 2014
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/07/nyregion/with-a-charitable-veneer-seeking-donations-and-then-profits.html
"Summonses are not issued, a department spokeswoman explained, based on the theory that those distributing the bins have factored any fines into the cost of doing business."
*facepalm
So, here is the order of events:
1. Bin is placed.
2. Someone complains about bin.
3. Sanitation tags the bin.
4. Over the course of the next 30 days, the tag may be removed by the company, or the bin moved.
5. If the bin remains, Sanitation can remove it. However, Sanitation doesn't know that it is still there.
Seems tedious.
PM me or post locations on this thread. Thanks.
Cafes have to keep 8 feet of sidewalk from curb clear.
And this lack of clarity is yet another obstacle which makes it difficult for the city to tag and remove the bins.
If they were placed on the street, Sanitation's work would be much easier.
The NYT article also referenced fines being possible, yet not issued. I assume that the fines could only be issued after 30 days as well.
3 more to go.
The effort now has enough momentum that a State AM is making statements about how he wants a change to laws at either the state or city level. In other words, disliking these bins is a calculated win:
http://pix11.com/2014/07/11/assemblyman-pushes-to-rid-nyc-streets-of-illegal-clothing-bins/