Hey Crapper,
First off, I'm a HUGE fan of your work. I've been following the blog for a couple of years now and enjoy everything you post, keeps me well informed on my neighborhood and the surrounding areas. So thank you very much for that!
Secondly, I've attached a couple of pictures of 77th Place (off of Eliot Avenue) in Middle Village, from Sunday August 4th. You'll notice the placement of the menus from a new Thai restaurant called "The Green Leaf Cafe". Interestingly enough the Green Leaf Cafe's representative kindly placed their menus on the ground outside of these homes (and all the others nearest the corner of this block) and then he proceeded to drive off on his scooter the wrong way up 77th, and onto Eliot Avenue without stopping. I also took a shot of where one of the menus (that I noticed because I'm sure there were others) ended up, in the street. Completely lazy and unacceptable behavior, especially for a new restaurant hoping to thrive in the community.
Thanks for all you do!
Sincerely,
Dan from Middle Village
15 comments:
I agree with this poster - completely unacceptable - There are rules as to how to leave a flyer at homes and apartments, few of these businesses do so and the rules were designed so that it's difficult to enforce or have no teeth. Sure a new outfit or existing business want to drum up business - but obviously if you point it out to them they will apologize and blame the illegal workers that slave for them. Sure these outfits are moving into the area because their cash business buy great single family properties and turn them into slum multifamily housing. I think it's about time the City council look into these businesses and insure their workers are legal and get paid minimum wages, pay taxes like everyone else! Oh, let insure rents are reported as income!
NYC need to ban the passing out of all flyers, circulars and menus to homes, apartment buildings and car windshields and begin to fine all businesses that engage in this major problem that add to NYC's already bad garbage problem.
I have to disagree with Joe. I find it very convenient to have the circulars (and coupons) delivered to my house, since I don't have time to visit individual stores to pick them up. (I'd bet the elderly like receiving them, too.) However, I think the law should require that nothing can be left on one's property if it isn't in a plastic bag. It's the loose pieces of paper - menus, business cards, flyers - that blow around on our streets. If the paper/advertisement is so important, why not protect it in a bag?
Order some food and when the take-out guy comes give him the flyer and tell him to tell the boss to have the deliverers read the "No Menus" signs that we homeowners post. I do that all the time . . . when they really piss me off.
Send the pics to Bob Holden of the Juniper civics.
I've often considered collecting a bunch of the menus and just throwing them on the ground outside of the offending restaurants.
When you look at litter around most neighborhoods, at least half of it is flyers and menus.
Unfortunately all of this trash is protected by the first amendment, believe it or not. I forget the specifics but I read once that they did try to ban them and lost on free speech grounds.
I just make a mental note to never, ever go to a restaurant that leaves a flyer at my door. The good ones don't need to advertise.
Anon #2 - how about an OPT IN policy instead if you like all that litter? The rest of us did not invite these people onto our property and don't want them.
Why should homeowners have to post "No Menus" to keep these nuisances away?
they did try to ban them and lost on free speech grounds.
Wouldn't it be covered by Padavan's Lawn Litter Law?
I want the supermarket circulars and coupons, which are safely in plastic bags, so I don't have a sign on my lawn. I only object to the loose menus and flyers, which blow away - make them put everything in a secure plastic bag.
"Unfortunately all of this trash is protected by the first amendment, believe it or not. I forget the specifics but I read once that they did try to ban them and lost on free speech grounds."
Not true. It's trespass and it's litering, plain and simple.
I don't know how true about free speech ground regarding menus, flyers and circulars placed on lawns, homes, apartment building and especially cars. This has not a thing to do with free speech. Freedom of speech is the political right to communicate one's opinions and ideas using one's body and property to anyone who is willing to receive them. I doubt that menus, circulars and flyers can really constitute opinions or ideas.
Bottom line and especially in New York City, this is pretty much littering no matter how you slice and dice it. Circulars should be distributed through the mail. So much of litter that you see are menus, flyers, circulars, party promotions, etc.
Joe
It is illegal to place flyers on windshields.
Last year in Forest Hills, a sanitation inspector walked down our block and picked up flyers , about 30 in all. The inspector told us the restaurant could be fined $50-100 FOR EACH. Call 311 --- it works!
"Order some food and when the take-out guy comes give him the flyer and tell him to tell the boss to have the deliverers read the "No Menus" signs that we homeowners post. I do that all the time ."
I'll bet that they also fuck with your food before bringing it to you after that.
The inspector told us the restaurant could be fined $50-100 FOR EACH.
The operative word is COULD.
"I'll bet that they also fuck with your food before bringing it to you after that."
-------------------------------
I never call in Chinese food orders for myself. I had 2 delivery guys on motorbikes (unregistered) show up once when I did this. You should have seen their faces after my tongue-lashing and they had to bring the chow back with the flyer.
I wish Papa John's and Domino's would stop littering their menus hawking their hot circular discs of garbage.
Post a Comment