New Effort to Rid Streets of Litter (Magic Not Involved!)

Yay for optimism, because that seems to be the key word at the Department of Sanitation. The DoS and the city have launched a new anti-littering campaign - "Stomp Out Litter." And it features the cast of Stomp traipsing around the city, from Times Square to the Bronx Zoo - even Flushing Meadows Corona Park. Funny, it looks so glamorous, so "Rent" when the cast of Stomp stomps out litter.

DoS Commissioner John Doherty wants to move NYC's acceptably clean rating from 92% to 100%; last year, the DoS was snippy when Reader's Digest called us the second dirtiest city in the country, but we think that's because the DoS can't do anything about dog poop on the sidewalk and cigarette butts. But Gothamist will try to do our part: We happen to store our tiny trash (used gum, magazine subscription cards, random business cards from restaurants) in our pockets, only for them to become identifiable remains after the wash that we ponder.

You can request a litter basket for your street corner. The city is looking to containerize its trash collection. And the Department of Sanitation might be Gothamist's favorite city agency - remember the great NY Times article about "san men" last year?