Sanitation Dept. Seized—Then Donated—32,220 Pounds of Food From Street Vendors Since April
In case you missed it
In First Months of Street Vendor Enforcement, Sanitation Seized—Then Donated—32,220 Pounds of Food
Since April, when the city moved vendor enforcement responsibilities away from the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) to the Department of Sanitation (DSNY), sellers and advocates say things have changed in two main areas: more sweeps and confiscations, and less educational outreach to vendors, many of whom are newcomers who don’t know the peddler rules.
In the four months since Sanitation took the reins, the agency has donated 32,220 pounds of food inspectors seized from vendors, and composted another 3,880 pounds, according to a spokesperson.
The enforcement shift is the latest in a long dispute over how the city should regulate street vending, a sector largely made up of immigrants, many of whom are unable to sell legally under city rules thanks to a long-standing limit on the number of available permits.
City Limits’ local, investigative journalism has informed and empowered New Yorkers for 46 years. Your generous donation will enable us to keep looking out for New York’s most vulnerable.
Will you support our independent journalism today?
