NYC politicians target waste hauling driver safety

The protection of solid waste collection workers has been the focus of a national legislative campaign by waste industry trade groups. In New York City, however, a coalition of elected officials and other organizations is examining the safety record of the drivers and hauling firms instead.

In a news release issued Aug. 16, three New York City Council members, along with the Teamsters union and what the council members call “other advocates,” have announced a rally initially planned for Aug. 20 that will “call for safer streets following two fatalities at the hands of the private waste carting industry.” (A follow-up announcement on Saturday, Aug. 18, stated the rally had been cancelled or postponed for possible rescheduling.)

The news release says the proposed rally is tied to two fatalities that occurred in August. “On Aug. 1, Robert Martinez, a union plumber and New York Police Department employee, was struck and killed by a tire that flung off of a private sanitation truck belonging to Century Waste.” The news release refers to that Elizabeth, New Jersey-based company as having “a long track record of safety violations and ties to organized crime.”

The statement continues, “Less than two weeks later, 23-year-old Australian tourist Madison Jane Lyden was hit and killed by a private sanitation truck whose driver was under the influence of alcohol.”

At the now-postponed event, council members Antonio Reynoso, Justin Brannan and Helen Rosenthal “will rally with the Teamsters Union, Transportation Alternatives and other advocates in front of the [New York City) Business Integrity Commission (BIC) for safer streets through stricter regulation of the sanitation industry, increased bike protection infrastructure, and more stringent enforcement of road rules,” say the rally organizers.

Add the event’s organizers, “These incidents demonstrate the incredibly dangerous environment that private sanitation trucks create for all road users. In order to make our streets safe for pedestrians and bicyclists, BIC must rid the private sanitation industry of companies with ties to organized crime and terrible safety records, and the City must invest in increased bike infrastructure and more stringently enforce road rules.”