New Town-Wide Litter Crew Launched To Pick Up PPE, Trash

SOUTHAMPTON, NY — With ever-growing piles of discarded personal protective equipment, including gloves and masks, as well as other trash dumped unceremoniously around town, Southampton officials have launched a massive litter cleanup effort.

A new town-wide litter crew will set out to remove discarded PPE and other refuse, Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman said.

“The Town needs some TLC,” said Schneiderman, referring to the new "Town Litter Crew" that will pick up trash from parks, beaches and roadsides.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increase in litter, the supervisor said: “It’s hard not to notice it. It’s everywhere."

On Tuesday, the Southampton town board voted to approve appropriations for the new town litter crew, which will consist of six seasonal employees who will work full-time for the next two months picking up litter. The crew will complement litter removal efforts already performed by the highway, parks and Community Preservation Fund departments, town officials said.

Workers will be given tools to assist with litter removal and be provided with protective equipment including gloves, masks and reflective vests, town officials said.

The goal is to provide employment for people who have lost their jobs because of the pandemic; litter crew members will earn $17 an hour, Schneiderman said.

“We live in one of the most beautiful places on earth and we need to keep it that way,” said Southampton Town Councilman Rick Martel.

Martel was forced to cancel a planned town-wide volunteer beach cleanup earlier in the year year because of the coronavirus outbreak.

“The litter crew will help us get back to where we were before the pandemic," he said.

“The amount of litter throughout our town has noticeably increased these last several months,” said Southampton Town Councilwoman Julie Lofstad. “We shouldn’t have to see bags of household garbage thrown on our streets or at our beaches. In addition to our parks and highway crews, many residents take it upon themselves to pick up the trash dumped by others, and everyone appreciates their diligence and dedication in cleaning up other people’s messes. But with the unbelievable increase in the amount of garbage everywhere, 'TLC' can be the workhorse to help keep our town beautiful."

The plan is to have the new litter crew up and running within two weeks, Schneiderman said.

The crew will operate under the direction of the town's department of public safety and will coordinate with other departments including police, public works, parks and CPF. Litter will be brought to town transfer stations to be weighed and disposed of — and three, separate two-person crews will operate in targeted areas where litter has accumulated.

Residents will be able to report problem areas using the Southampton Online Solutions system on the town’s website; SOS is a web-based platform where residents can log in and track citizen complaints and concerns.

Using the platform, a resident can alert town officials to a problem and place it on a map so the location is clear to the responding department. The SOS system will be modified to have a special checkbox for reporting litter issues.

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