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City's Fight to Retain Recyclables From Scavengers Gets Messy
New York City Councilmember Antonio Reynoso, representing New York City's 34th district (Williamsburg Bushwick, and Ridgewood, Queens), discusses the city's fight to retain recyclable items, which are often collected by individuals who exchange these items for cash.
The councilman said the often poor individuals who collect cans and bottles in grocery carts, who have become a mainstay on the city's streets, are less problematic than highly organized groups that haul away large amounts of recyclables. This prevents the city from being able to tabulate its recycling rate, because items recycled by entities outside the department of sanitation aren't tallied, and it also strips the department of income it would receive from recycling. Councilman Reynoso said these funds are used in reaching the city's recycling quota, which has incentives from the federal government.