Busy, Dirty Upper East Side Corridor Finally Gets Trash Cans

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — At long last, the city has installed midblock trash cans along the busy East 86th Street corridor, City Councilmember Julie Menin announced Wednesday, fulfilling a local push that dates back a decade.

For 10 years, the East 86th Street Association and other neighborhood groups had pushed for the added baskets, arguing that the existing corner receptacles were not cutting it when it came to reducing litter.

Now, responding to a request made by Menin, the Sanitation Department has installed eight midblock litter baskets along East 86th Street. Each will be picked up seven days a week, Menin's office said.

The locations are as follows:

• Between Lexington and Park avenues, adjacent to MTA bus stop
• Between Third and Lexington avenues, north side of street, adjacent to the bus stop and around the corner from Chick-Fil-A (two baskets)
• Between Lexington and Third avenues, south side, in front of Shake Shack AND adjacent to the MTA bus stop at Target
• Between Second and Third avenues, north side of street, adjacent to MTA bus stop near Capital One
• Between Second and Third avenues, south side of street, adjacent to the MTA bus stop near Baked by Melissa, AND in front of Orangetheory Fitness

Five local businesses have already volunteered to "adopt" one of the new baskets by changing out the bags inside: Orangetheory Fitness, Baked by Melissa, 115 East 86th Co-op, Chick-Fil-A and Foot Locker. More businesses interested in volunteering can contact Menin's office.

"Adding additional litter baskets will help keep our sidewalks clean and reduce rodents that can be a problem for residents, businesses and entire neighborhoods," Menin said in a statement. "This is going to make a tremendous difference for sanitation in our community and raise our quality of life."

The midblock sites had to be chosen carefully, Menin's office said — the city requires them to be maneuverable around parked cars and other obstructions, while the surrounding area must show a high demand based on accumulation of trash nearby.

Making sanitation a priority during her first weeks in office, Menin announced earlier this month that increased trash pickups would begin around the neighborhood thanks to a $120,000 allocation.

Indeed, unsanitary conditions have been a top neighborhood complaint for months. Rat sightings surged on the Upper East Side last year, according to 311 complaints, while trash began piling up last fall as the vaccine mandate for city employees took effect — causing some Sanitation workers to stay home.

"This is a watershed moment for East 86th Street, a true milestone of progress," said Andrew Fine, vice president of the East 86th Street Association, in a statement. "We have advocated for mid-block cans and service for well over a decade."

Related coverage:

• More Garbage Pickups Coming To Upper East Side, Leaders Say
• Trash Piles Up On Upper East Side As Vaccine Mandates Take Effect
• Upper East Side Rat Sightings Surge In 2021, Complaints Show