BP Oddo, DA McMahon Partner Again for ‘Litter Heroes’ to Clean their Communities
Small groups are encouraged to get out and clean up neighborhoods in a safe way
Borough President James Oddo and District Attorney Michael E. McMahon announced today they are continuing their partnership to encourage small, organized groups who are interested in hosting cleanups in their neighborhoods to do so.
“We continue to combat the war on litter and thank those Staten Islanders who have taken the extra step to clean up their neighborhoods,” said Borough President Oddo. “We are calling on constituents to help us in this fight, and are grateful to those doing their part to correct this self-inflicted problem.”
The Borough President and District Attorney want to caution groups to hold clean ups only where it is safe to do so, exercise safety at all times, and only clean on good quality air days.
“I have lived on Staten Island all my life and unfortunately these are the absolute filthiest conditions as to litter and graffiti I have ever seen,” said DA McMahon. “All City agencies responsible and their leadership should be ashamed! People who litter and commit graffiti vandalism should also be ashamed, and wherever we can, will be prosecuted. Meanwhile, the citizens of Staten Island must come to the rescue. As the weather gets nicer and we begin spending more time outdoors, it’s important now more than ever that we ensure our communities are kept safe and clean. Building on the success of our anti-litter initiative, I am proud to announce my office is once again partnering with Borough President Oddo to take on this important issue. We have been greatly encouraged to see community groups have joined our call to action to help beautify our borough through regular community cleanups, and we look forward to many more clean-ups in the months ahead.”
Local groups who are interested in hosting a cleanup and need a site to clean or need support with supplies – including masks, garbage bags, and/or gloves – should email Irene Maiello at [email protected] or Lisa Thompson at [email protected].
Regarding the program last year, DA McMahon said, “Keeping our communities on Staten Island safe also means keeping our streets clean, but we cannot do it alone. That is why we are encouraged to see community groups have joined our call to action to help beautify our borough through regular community cleanups,” said District Attorney Michael E. McMahon. “This is especially important now considering the budget cuts our City faced this year — the only way we will continue to keep our streets clean and litter-free is by rolling up our sleeves to get it done ourselves.”
James Oddo said of the successful program last year, “It has been wonderful to see so many Staten Island ‘Litter Heroes’ step up this
summer to clean our community. Litter is insidious and eats away at quality of life and we all must find a way to
contribute to fixing the problem, or it will only get worse.”
Groups are asked to organize themselves and take necessary safety precautions, including:
Keep groups to 10 people or less
Practice social distancing
Wear a mask and gloves
Stay hydrated
Do not handle illicit drug paraphernalia or potentially dangerous items, report them to 311
Those who participate are encouraged to post before and after photos on social media with the hashtag #SILitterHero to be re-posted by both office’s social media accounts.
James Oddo
James Steven Oddo is an American attorney and politician serving as the Borough President of Staten Island. Oddo had previously served as a member of the New York City Council.
SO sick of seeing garbage at the side of the road.
If everyone were to get involved in their own communities, we’d have a better island.