Residents: NYCHA trash overflow brings rats and roaches to Clason Point Gardens
Tenants say a parking lot at the Soundview complex has been converted into a temporary garbage storage area, leaving the space overwhelmed by trash, foul odors and rodents.
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Residents at Clason Point Gardens say they have spent nearly a year dealing with overflowing garbage bins from another NYCHA development, creating what they describe as a growing health and quality-of-life crisis.
Tenants say a parking lot at the Soundview complex has been converted into a temporary garbage storage area, leaving the space overwhelmed by trash, foul odors and rodents.
"That's why we're now overwhelmed with rats. It has to stop," Melvine Savater said.
Residents told News 12 that NYCHA initially said the arrangement would last about three months. However, tenants say the garbage bins have remained in the lot for the last 11 months.
For residents like Savater, the situation has become more than an inconvenience.
"And this is a hazard, as you see, it's falling apart," Savater said. "It's bringing rats, roaches, all kinds of animals and people, unwanted people late at night, taking from the bins."
Neighbors say the overflowing bins have attracted rodents and insects, while also limiting their ability to use the area as intended.
Maribel Franco said the problems worsened after a recent storm. According to Franco, fencing around the garbage bins was secured with sandbags that have since deteriorated. She said pieces of the ripped bags clogged a nearby storm drain, contributing to flooding during heavy rain last week.
"The storm last week, the water went running into my yard. My kitchen is there, and the smell, it was horrible," Franco said. "We had to actually come out and try to dig so that the water would run down. We had boots on, and this has just been very upsetting."
Residents say they are demanding answers from NYCHA management and want the garbage removed so the space can be restored for community use.
News 12 reached out to NYCHA for comment.
A spokesperson wrote in part, "A waste yard at Monroe Houses, a neighboring development to Clason Point Gardens, is currently undergoing modernization. While the project at Monroe is nearing completion, there is a temporary waste yard at Clason Point. We have provided additional rear-loader collection service to this temporary waste yard, and we will continue to monitor this area for cleanliness."
