Mayor Solomon: Restore Jersey City’s Public Garbage Bins!

Notice something different in your neighborhood? The public garbage bins are disappearing. Mayor Solomon’s administration has removed public litter baskets from Jersey City streets as part of a 60-day pilot program, leaving residents questioning why these changes were made without prior public announcement or community input.

Since Mayor Solomon took office, residents have felt the impact of decisions affecting their everyday lives: higher property taxes, increased parking ticket fines as the city looks for ways to address its budget deficit, and continued delays surrounding the redevelopment of the Embankment- a project that was part of his campaign platform. Now, residents are facing yet another change that directly affects the cleanliness and safety of their neighborhoods.

Mayor Solomon, balancing the budget should not come at the expense of our quality of life.

This is especially concerning around Hamilton Park, a vibrant neighborhood filled with coffee shops, pizzerias, bars, restaurants, and other local businesses. Residents walk their dogs, grab coffee, pick up food, and enjoy the neighborhood every day. Without accessible public garbage bins, where are people supposed to dispose of their trash?

Jersey City is also a destination for visitors from across New Jersey and beyond. Not everyone enjoying our neighborhoods can simply walk home to throw away their garbage.

Removing these bins leaves fewer convenient places to dispose of everyday waste and risks more litter, discarded dog waste bags, and broken glass accumulating on our sidewalks and street corners. This is not just an eyesore; it can create hazards for children, pets, and pedestrians.

We understand the city faces financial challenges and that some people misuse public bins to dump household garbage. However, removing bins penalizes responsible residents instead of addressing the people causing the problem. The city should focus on enforcing illegal-dumping rules and improving collection efficiency rather than eliminating a service our neighborhoods rely on.

We are asking Mayor Solomon to:

1. Restore the public garbage bins removed from Hamilton Park and other affected neighborhoods.
2. Be transparent about the locations selected, expected savings, and criteria for evaluating this 60-day pilot.
3. Listen to residents and local businesses before making future decisions that affect our neighborhoods.
4. Address illegal dumping directly without making responsible trash disposal more difficult for everyone.

Sign this petition to demand the restoration of Jersey City’s public garbage bins and protect the cleanliness and quality of life our community deserves!