City council is pushing a plan to install thousands of free dog poop bags on trash cans around the Big Apple — to combat a spike in steaming pooch piles.
Two bills introduced Thursday would require the Department of Sanitation to set up and fill 23,000 “dog waste” bags in dispensers attached to garbage baskets citywide.
Signs warning inconsiderate pup owners to clean up Rover’s stinking mess would also be set up around the city, under two other bills introduced Thursday.
The dog waste bills include provisions about increasing signage encouragin New Yorkers to clean up after their canines. Luiz C. Ribeiro for New York Post The plan to wipe out abandoned dog doo-doo comes after The Post reported on a record high number of complaints that had, well, piled up during the massive January winter storm.
A total of 245 complaints were filed with 311 during that time, including on a stretch on Bruckner Boulevard in the Bronx that made neighbors howl with disgust.
The bill requiring dog poop bag installation was previously introduced two years ago by current City Council Speaker Julie Menin.
A committee report on the 2024 bill cited a 2012 NYC Economic Development Corporation study that estimated 72 tons of waste per day – or 27,000 tons annually – were produced by the Big Apple’s estimated 600,000 four-legged friends.
A rep from Speaker Menin’s office said they didn’t have a current cost estimate for the program.
The current maximum fine for failing to scoop your pet’s poop is $250, which applies to both public spaces and private residences but is rarely enforced.
The same report found that only 18 violations were issued in 2022.
DSNY representative Vincent Gragnani noted that the department has been clear that a community partner would be necessary to maintain the dispensers during its pilot program.
“We don’t have the resources to keep these stocked daily, and our intention was that a local community group or the local Council Member would take on the responsibility of keeping the dispensers full,” he said.
Olivia Bannerman, the “Poop Fairy,” disposing of a green bag into a public trash can. Matthew McDermott for NY Post
