Upper East Side Residents Rally Against Proposed Trash Terminal On 91st Street
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - Upper East Side residents are hoping that the wind shifts on a planned garbage transfer station at 91st Street and the East River.
Dozens of residents rallied against the proposed trash terminal on Saturday, wearing T-shirts that read, "Don't treat New Yorkers like trash!" and chanting, "Dump the dump!"
"There are subway-sized rats and roaches walking along here, and that would be exponentially increased with all the garbage that would come here," one man told 1010 WINS' Steve Sandberg. "And then the smell and everything..."
1010 WINS' Steve Sandberg reports
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"It makes us heartsick," another woman added. "There shouldn't be garbage dumps in residential neighborhoods."
This terminal could mean 500 garbage trucks a day clogging the local streets and polluting the air.
Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney said that the danger skyrockets when you consider the location.
WCBS 880's Jim Smith reports
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"It's just three miles from LaGuardia Airport," Maloney said. "These facilities are supposed to be at least five miles away, and we're three miles! And why in the world are we putting a garbage dump right in the middle of a green esplanade in a fragile ecosystem?"
The distance from the airport is important because more garbage would attract more birds, of whom could be right in the path of oncoming planes.
Residents in the local area told Sandberg that although they love their neighborhood, they would consider moving if this plan goes forward.
Upper East Side residents, will you consider moving out of the neighborhood if this plan comes to fruition? Offer your thoughts and comments below...
