Curb Your Litter: Greenpoint

Project Lead:	North Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce
Project Partners:	NYC Department of Sanitation; ClosedLoops; Placemeter; The Center for Urban Pedagogy; New York University’s Center for Urban Science and Progress (CUSP); The CUSP Open Trash Observatory; North Brooklyn Neighbors, formerly Neighbors Allied for Good Growth; Frances Perkins Academy; Automotive High School; John Ericsson M.S. 126; P.S. 110 The Monitor; P.S. 34 Oliver H. Perry; and P.S. 31 Samuel F. Dupont
Project Location:	Greenpoint-wide
Total GCEF Funding:	$486,600
2014 GCEF Grant:	$471,600
2017 Budget Addition:	$15,000
Total Matching Contribution:	$63,647
TOTAL INVESTMENT:	$550,247
2014 Project Completed:	May 2018

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

In 2014, though a competitive process, the North Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce (NBCC) received a $471,600 GCEF grant (and provided $63,647 in matching funds) to address structural deficiencies and behaviors that lead to litter problems in Greenpoint. The project utilized an anti-litter strategy conducted in three overlapping phases. In Phase One, an on-the-ground assessment of litter sources in Greenpoint was conducted in partnership with ClosedLoops, an infrastructure planning and development firm. Phase Two was a coordinated education and outreach campaign, including a project website, to promote proper waste disposal among local students and area businesses. In Phase Three, waste infrastructure improvements, such as adding litter baskets to areas of Greenpoint, were implemented consistent with needs identified through the project’s litter assessment.

In 2016, the project collaborated with students from Frances Perkins Academy to complete a year-long program that investigated such questions as, “Where does our trash go and who decides?” The program culminated in the production of an acclaimed documentary video, “Talking Trash: Throwing Out the Big Apple,” that highlights what the students learned. In conjunction with the film, the project developed a curriculum guide on the same topics covered in the film for educators of Grades 8-12, and copies were distributed to Greenpoint schools. The curriculum guide is also being used by neighborhood leaders and environmental organizations to educate young adults.

In 2017, after another competitive process, NBCC was awarded $15,000 in additional GCEF funding to expand the number of litter baskets on Franklin, Manhattan, and Nassau Avenues, based on needs identified through the project’s litter assessment. In conjunction with NYC Councilmember Stephen Levin, a “Clean Greenpoint Pledge” was also developed for local businesses to pledge to undertake waste reduction practices and provide litter stewardship of public streets and spaces.

Over the course of both grants, Curb Your Litter: Greenpoint held 12 clean-up days, where hundreds of community volunteers collected and removed trash from Greenpoint streets.

PROJECT ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Produced a litter analysis assessing the sources of litter in Greenpoint
Built a project website sharing information on how to reduce and properly dispose of trash, which also included a platform to facilitate collaboration among residents and local businesses in developing litter solutions
Convened 12 neighborhood litter clean-up days, covering 599 blocks in total
Collected and removed 8,711 pounds of litter from Greenpoint streets through the efforts of 945 volunteers on litter clean-up days
Completed a year-long, 120-hour education program with students from Frances Perkins Academy that culminated in the acclaimed documentary video, “Talking Trash: Throwing Out the Big Apple”
Developed a curriculum guide on themes from the documentary for teachers of Grades 8-12 and community leaders, and trained 18 educators in using the guide
Distributed 150 copies of the curriculum guide to Greenpoint schools
Installed 50 new litter containers throughout Greenpoint at priority intersections based on the project’s community litter analysis