Where Cleanliness Ends, Neglect Begins: The Inequality of Environmental Care in New York City
In New York City, inequality extends far beyond just rent prices - it’s visible on streets and sidewalks. When strolling through the modern streets of the Upper West or East Sides, you’ll see clean and well-kept streets, well-maintained garbage bins, and multiple garbage trucks helping pick up trash. However, on a similar walk in less affluent areas, such as the South Bronx, East New York, or Brownsville, for example, the stark contrast is alarming: trash spills on the street, and bags of garbage line up at corners, waiting to be taken. This uneven distribution of litter is more just an aesthetic issue, however - it is a safety hazard and a reflection of ecological disparities.
It’s easy to attribute this litter problem to resident carelessness and claim that they don’t value having a clean community. In reality, many of these areas simply lack the resources needed to prevent littering to begin with. This includes, but is not limited to, public trash bins, frequent visits from the NYC Sanitation Department, and increased litter enforcement. Without any systems set in place, neighborhoods have no opportunity to create a cleaner area. What looks like community neglect reveals a darker truth - it is neglect from the city itself.
Well, why does this happen to begin? On a fundamental front,the distribution of sanitation resources is linked to both economic and social power. Residents of wealthier neighborhoods generally have more time to advocate for better city services, and their voices are often regarded as important and influential. In contrast, in lower-income neighborhoods, residents often work multiple jobs, have a language barrier, or are not regarded as nearly as important. The result is a vicious cycle of more need for assistance, but less access to it.
The implications of this social injustice are grand. Excessive litter could cause health risks such as rat infestations, contaminated water sources, and respiratory issues. It also drives the false narrative that residents of these neighborhoods don’t care about cleanliness, when they actually simply live in a city that does not prioritize their well-being.
Solving this issue requires much more than simply placing more trash cans in these neighborhoods - it requires New York City residents to recognize that for a cleaner city, no neighborhood can be left unattended. New York City residents have to see each other as teammates with the common goal of a cleaner city tomorrow. Organizations, such as Pitch iNYC and Sustainable South Bronx, have helped to lead clean-up campaigns. But these efforts must be matched on a citywide level.
If we want a cleaner New York City, we have to clean more than just the streets - we have to clean up the systemic neglect that has plagued many neighborhoods for years. Environmental equity should not be a privilege - it should be a right. The longer we choose to overlook this injustice, the more deeply we entrench it. A just and cleaner city isn’t out of reach - but it will only come when we treat every neighborhood like it matters.