Volunteer takes on trash plaguing the Brooklyn Bridge
Locks, hair ties, hygiene products and other debris have accumulated along the fences that line the bridge’s pedestrian walkway.
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The Brooklyn Bridge is one of New York City’s most iconic landmarks, drawing millions of visitors each year for its history and sweeping skyline views. But for many who cross it, their view is less flattering.
Locks, hair ties, hygiene products and other debris have accumulated along the fences that line the bridge’s pedestrian walkway. What some tourists consider a symbolic tradition has turned into an unsightly problem.
One Brooklyn woman decided she’d had enough.
Ellen Baum, a Brooklyn Heights resident, has been spending her own time removing the clutter from the bridge, determined to restore the view for commuters, walkers and tourists.
“I was walking one day and watching the trash blow in the wind, and I just decided I’d had enough,” Baum said. “I realized I could take this into my own hands. I didn’t have to wait for the city to do it.”
Baum says the ease with which people attach items to the bridge inspired her to start removing them.
“As easily as people put crap up here, I can take it down,” she said. “So I started—and it just escalated from there.”
Baum says she has filed multiple 311 complaints over the years but was told by the Department of Sanitation that no violations were found. She believes the ongoing buildup not only detracts from the bridge’s appearance but also disrespects its historic significance.
“This is an iconic landmark,” she said. “It deserves better.”
News 12 reached out to the New York City Department of Transportation, which oversees the Brooklyn Bridge for comment.
In a statement to News 12, DOT says that it regularly cleans up the bridge and removes the keys but did not share any recent statistics on how often that happens or how much it costs.
The most recent DOT figures on the issue date back to 2015, where the agency said that:
"In 2015, DOT removed over 11,000 locks. In addition to leaving locks, a growing number of visitors have in recent years also begun tying other random items to the bridge, including hair bands, shoe laces, and headphones. Since the practice began, DOT’s Division of Bridges has conducted regular sweeps of the Brooklyn Bridge, several times per year -- at an annual cost of $116,000 in 2015."
Baum says since she started over a week ago, she's been making good progress, even accumulating some volunteers.
She says anyone with bolt cutters are welcome to help her remove the locks, something she cannot do with just her serrated wine key.
"People say I'm against love, because it's something people do with their spouse or partner, I don't care, it's gross, it's trash and it's no way to treat our landmark that was called the eighth Wonder of the World when it opened," she said.
