NYC business owner: ‘Explosion’ of trash another struggle to deal with
“It’s just a continuation of the trickle-down effect from this pandemic' Sugar Sweet Sunshine Bakery owner says
Among several issues business owners have to deal with, excessive trash clean up is another one, New York City business owner Debbie Weiner said on Thursday.
“I came in just before 8 o'clock and when I got there it was just garbage from the left all the way to the right where the outdoor dining is -- and it wasn’t just garbage, it was everywhere as if there was an explosion of garbage,” the owner of Sugar Sweet Sunshine Bakery told "Fox & Friends."
“Recyclables, just any kind of food, there was a bed frame, it was a mess,” Weiner said.
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Meanwhile, Gov. Andrew Cuomo threatened to slash state funding to New York City if it doesn't increase efforts to tamp down on crime and clean up trash in the midst of a pandemic, even offering to send in the National Guard to help.
The tall order from the state's Democratic governor was announced Tuesday at a press conference, where Cuomo expressed concerns about the uptick in gun violence and crime, taking a swipe at the city's mayor, Bill de Blasio, without specifically naming him.
Garbage is thrown across the sidewalk waiting for the garbage disposal to come along and remove it. (iStock)
"The crime problem in New York City is real. Denial is not an option," Cuomo said, adding that "if jurisdictions don't resolve police/community issues and redesign public safety," he would take away the city's funding allotted to help with recovery efforts due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The warnings are part of a larger initiative unveiled Tuesday called "New York City Stabilization and Recovery Program."
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Weiner said that she does not know where the trash came from but it was a “residential matter,” meaning it was not trash that belonged to her business. Weiner said that since city services had not picked up the trash per her request, she had to clean it up.
“I don’t know if it was from the left side of the building or the right side or a combination because now with the outdoor dining, it is sort of like where do business owners and the residents put their garbage? And it looked like someone had gone through it or had illegally dumped,” Weiner said.
Weiner went on to say that she believes it's a "continuation of the trickle-down effect from this pandemic," including budget cuts in sanitation and the police.
“People, businesses, There's more homelessness. People are desperate, and that trickle-down effect is just now, again, another element of what business owners have to contend with on top of, you know, the food costs, rent, paying staff. Now we have garbage not really being picked up,” she added.
Fox News' Audrey Conklin contributed to this report.