BAY RIDGE: Doo-doo debacle! Lack of trash bins is turning Ridge into a dumping ground, dog lovers say

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By Will Bredderman

Brooklyn Daily

Bay Ridge dog-owners are foaming at the mouth over the lack of neighborhood trash cans — a state of affairs they claim has given them no place to put their best friend’s doo-doo bags and turned the streets into a minefield of improperly-disposed animal waste.

Angry pooch-lovers say that only Third and Fifth avenues have garbage receptacles on each block, while Fourth Avenue only has baskets near the train stations — leaving thoroughfares like Narrows Avenue, Colonial Road, Ridge Boulevard, and Sixth Avenue without any place to make necessary dog walk drop-offs.

“Are we supposed to carry trash and dog dump around with us all the time?” asked Tom Mills, who we caught carrying a knotted bag of his best friend’s feces for more than 10 blocks, looking for a place to throw his package out. “When I was growing up there was a garbage can on every corner. Some people are just lazy, but it really is an inconvenience to carry this around.”

Ridge residents and the city’s Department of Sanitation have often quibbled over how many garbage cans the neighborhood should have, yet City officials maintain that most blocks don’t qualify for trash receptacles.

“The Department of Sanitation places litter baskets in high-trafficked pedestrian streets and areas such as transportation hubs, shopping areas, and bus stops,” said city spokeswoman Kathy Dawkins, who noted that the can-less corridors are in quiet residential areas that don’t meet the department’s criteria.

Some residents say the lack of cans have forced dog walkers to leave their pet’s deposits on the street.

“If there were more trash cans, they’d be better about it,” said Cindy Bajraktarevic.

Others argue that the city’s standards have let Bay Ridge go to the dogs.

“Obviously, what they’re doing isn’t working,” said Maria Davis. “You have to carry it around for blocks and blocks, so some people just don’t clean up.”

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