Lawn Litter Law Goes Into Effect!

Mark Levy represented Sustainable Flatbush at Sunday’s Lawn Litter Law press conference. Here’s his report from the event:

It isn’t very often that the steps of City Hall look like my Ditmas Park front porch; but covered with mounds of advertising fliers, menus and other “lawn litter”, there were certain similarities. The lawn litter were props, collected by City Council staff to dramatize Saturday’s start of enforcement of the Unwanted Materials (AKA Lawn Litter) Law, and I was there to participate in a press conference.

As press conferences go, it didn’t look like much of a success. Just City Council Member Simcha Felder (D-Bklyn), playing the ambitious politician and me, playing the colorful neighborhood activist, along with a few of Felder’s staff and a Russian language film crew from Radio Free Europe and two reporters, one from a Brooklyn-based Chinese language news service, one from AM New York.

Felder, a candidate for City Comptroller, first got involved with the fight against unwanted menus and advertising materials when his mother was fined by the Department of Sanitation for lawn litter on her property in Borough Park. He sponsored this law and it finally went into effect on August 2nd. He explained the process to file an affidavit against the distributors.

I explained that as a representative of Sustainable Flatbush, reduction of waste materials is one of our primary goals of promoting sustainability (along with community gardening, livable streets and energy efficiency). I noted that this law is “Good for business, Good for the environment and Good for our neighborhoods” and displayed the affidavit I will file against Kohl’s Department Store for the mounds of junk litter their distributor dumps on my property. This will be the very first one filed.

As a Gothamist commenter noted, at least Mark was dressed for the occasion!

photo: City Councilman Simcha Felder (right) with Sustainable Flatbush’s Mark Levy (via Flickr)

Sustainable Flatbush No Litter Sign
Sustainable Flatbush No Litter Sign

Another note: Sustainable Flatbush is now offering download-able “No Litter” signs (similar to the ones created by the Park Slope Civic Council), and will also have laminated versions available at the Flatbush Frolic in September.



4 thoughts on “Lawn Litter Law Goes Into Effect!”

  • Does this law also apply to apartment buildings or only single family homes? My building is awash in flyers and menus and coupons, inside and out. It gets dangerous because you can slip on them.

  • From what I’ve read it looks like the NO ADS signs can be posted in apartment buildings too, with the owner’s permission (I’m guessing that in a co-op that means the Board would have to decide whether to post one or not).

  • We have been watching and waiting For Senator Padavan’s lawn litter law to pass for years. Last year we decided to pitch in. We have a website at http://www.StopLawnLitter.org where homeowners can register and get a FREE sign that complies with the letter of the Lawn Litter Law. I’ve been cleaning this #$%@ from my own steps for years. I never though I’d find relief. Thanks to the Senator I now have a sign on my home and less junk on my steps.

  • I have asked for years to have the distributers reduce the number from 20 to 4 at our apartment complex. I realize the person distributing it have to do what their boss tells them, but I contacted the owner of the business. He says that since it is an apartment I need signatures from all of our tenants before he is legally required to stop, even though his delivery person has to open a gate to get to the stoop and place the pile under the sign telling him not to he does anyway. The distributor also says that he has the same rights as the post office.

    I am waiting for his lawyer to contact me because he won’t compromise and only leave four. I will be writing back to tell you how it goes. If I have to get signatures, I am getting signatures and sending it to all of the advertizers and let them know who is representing them, and to my elected representative.

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