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Federal and City Officials, Star Entertainer Pitch In to Strike Out Litter at Brooklyn Cyclones Baseball Game

Release Date: 07/20/2006
Contact Information: Terry Ippolito, (212) 637-3671 or ippolito.teresa@epa.gov

(New York, NY) “You don’t go to the beach when it rains, but your litter does.” That’s the message city and federal officials are spreading this beach session with their “Clean Street/Clean Beaches” program. Before today’s Brooklyn Cyclones game, EPA, New York City Department of Sanitation, New York City Department of Environmental Protection, New York City Parks & Recreation and a cast member of the off-Broadway hit “STOMP” will team up to demonstrate how to properly dispose of litter to 7,500 kids.

“We must make New York City’s streets and beaches cleaner by stopping litter before it starts,” said EPA Regional Administrator Alan J. Steinberg, who will throw out a ceremonial first pitch before the game. “People need to step up to the plate and pitch litter into trash cans so it doesn’t end up on our streets and favorite beaches.”

Each year, tons of litter ends up in streets and parks, washes down storm drains into local waterways, and ends up on local beaches. In response, EPA and New York City officials started the “Clean Streets/Clean Beaches” program more than a decade ago to call attention to street litter that washes up onto beaches. Using classroom materials for teachers and students, posters on subway cars and sanitation trucks, and storm drain stencils, EPA and the city are encouraging proper disposal of litter.

The DEP’s public outreach program brings the “Clean Streets/Clean Beaches” program to classrooms, beaches, and green markets around the city, and also sponsors posters on bus shelters and phone kiosks.

Sanitation Commissioner John J. Doherty said: “I am pleased to partner with the U.S. EPA, DEP and the Parks and Recreation Departments in keeping New York City cleaner than it has been in the last 30 years. It takes everyone pitching in together to make a clean city and it is rewarding to see that our hard work – with the assistance of the public, both young and old – is paying off.”

The Stomp Out Litter campaign was launched in March of this year by the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City. The program features the cast of the hit off-Broadway show STOMP. The public awareness campaign features television and radio public service announcements, but and bus stop shelter ads, posters, etc., encouraging New Yorkers and visitors to stomp out litter for a cleaner city. The Brooklyn Cyclones have shown the Stomp Out Litter PSA on their message board at all home games this season.

“Almost 90 percent of the trash that washes up on City beaches starts out as litter on City streets,” DEP Commissioner Emily Lloyd said. “We’ve made remarkable progress in cleaning up our shorelines and our harbor waters, but to keep it up we need the cooperation of all New Yorkers. Don’t use the street as a trash can because when you do you’re not just littering on the street but on the beaches as well.”

“Our City’s 14 miles of beaches have never been better,” said Parks & Recreation Brooklyn Borough Commissioner Julius Spiegel. “While we make every effort to keep them clean, the Clean Streets/Clean Beaches program plays an important role in educating the public about the connection between street waste and the trash that washes up on our city’s beaches.”

For more information on the “Clean Streets/Clean Beaches” program or to get involved, contact Terry Ippolito of EPA at 212-637-3671 or ippolito.teresa@epa.gov. For more information about beach water quality and EPA’s beach monitoring programs, visit: https://www.epa.gov/OST/beaches. Information on New York City’s litter prevention and beach monitoring efforts can be found at http://www.nyc.gov

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