Clean City Alliance
In June 2023 we launched a pilot program called the Clean City Alliance. This was a privately funded program to provide daily supplemental sidewalk cleaning services in two busy commercial corridors that were not serviced by a local business improvement district (BID).
We operated this pilot along two commercial corridors in Brooklyn, one along Nostrand Avenue and another along Utica Avenue. Working with our partner Street Plus, we deployed a dedicated workforce to clean the sidewalks, tree pits, and gutters on a consistent and daily basis.
The impact of this work was remarkable. From July 2023 through February 2024, we deployed nearly 11,000 service hours to remove 634,000 pounds of litter from the street. Between July and November, we saw litter complaints to 311 drop 9% in these areas, while litter complaints were +37% in this zip code and +25% in the city overall.
The difference in the cleanliness of the city sidewalks brought a tangible improvement in the quality of life of residents and visitors. Here are testimonials from a few merchants and residents in these communities:
“There’s so much potential in New York neighborhoods. Keeping them clean is certainly a good step towards that,” said Ayo Balogun, owner of the restaurant Dept of Culture on Nostrand Avenue within the service area. “I am really thankful that this kind of initiative will help not only my restaurant, but the whole neighborhood and the city.”
“The community needs it, and the city needs it to keep young men out of trouble. It keeps people working. It establishes things in themselves like being confident and clean.” - Gino \\ Resident
"It's a big deal. It's pretty good because there's a lot of traffic in this area." - Sara \\ Resident
“It's said that this program is temporary; it should be a continuous effort program. We would love something permanent to create jobs for the street cleaners, and it reminds the business owners to let them know they should clean their premises. It motivates them, and we’d like to have a BID soon.” - Funso \\ Akara House | Restaurant Owner
“It's beautiful, and we need our BID. Everyone should chip in to start a BID.” - Hooper \\ Best Wine and Liquor | Business Owner
“The streets have been clean, and you can't see any litter on the streets anymore.” - Zach Kelly \\ Resident
The Clean City Alliance pilot phase concludes at the end of February 2024, after eight months spanning three seasons. At this time, we have gathered a tremendous amount of information and input, and we are taking these learnings and thinking through how to most scalable and sustainable approach to sidewalk cleaning going forward.
If you are interested in additional citywide cleaning resources, please drop us a note at info@sanitationfoundation.org.
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