New Yorkers may soon have to wave goodbye to plastic foam coffee cups and take-out boxes. Last month, during his final State of the City address, Mayor Bloomberg announced that he wanted to ban the non-biodegradable plastic foam substance known as polystyrene, a move that would follow the likes of west coast cities like Seattle, San Francisco and Portland.

Environmental groups like the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) applaud the mayor’s effort, saying that banning these substances could have a real impact on everyday urban living.

“Bloomberg has a sensible proposal to keep our streets clean and dispose of our household waste as well as phasing out a petroleum based product that has a short, useful life but stays around for many decades,” said Eric Goldstein, the environment director for the NRDC.

But it’s not easy being green, especially for businesses in New York concerned that alternatives to polystyrene could be expensive and really cut into small business’ pockets, as well as cost jobs of polystyrene manufacturers.

Even big businesses like Dunkin Donuts could be hurt by the ban. The corporation released a statement of disapproval of the proposed ban: “A polystyrene ban will not eliminate waste or increase recycling, it will simply replace one type of trash with another.”

“This is yet another mandate that government is imposing on a business when they’re already struggling to survive,” said Mike Durant, the New York director of the National Federation of Independent Business. “This will threaten jobs like any other mandate you see that comes from government.”

In fact, a study released by the American Chemistry Council found that the proposed ban would actually cost the city $100 million annually. A Styrofoam cup, according to the New York Restaurant Association, costs seven cents, cardboard cups cost 15 cents, and a plastic cup could cost 45 cents per container. This may sound like only a matter of pennies, but according to the study, New York City restaurants could see a $57 million increase in costs. In addition, as many as 1,200 polystyrene manufacturing jobs could be lost with the enactment of a ban.

But despite the alleged costs, the ban is backed by multiple legislators like the Upper East Side’s Senator Liz Krueger, who wants the substance banned statewide.

“This would be a great step forward for our city, both for the environment and public health – but we shouldn’t just stop at the city limits,” said Krueger last month after the State of the City address.

So what is polystyrene? Usually called Styrofoam, polystyrene is a petroleum-based expanded foam plastic. The substance is often preferred by restaurants because it insulates hot beverages better than paper or cardboard. According to the American Chemsitry Council, most polystyrene nowadays is actually made from a combination of petroleum and natural gas.

Those on the side of small businesses say that New York City should implement a recycling program for polystyrene. But according to NYC.gov, polystyrene is not recyclable because it is “very difficult to keep clean and separate from other types of plastic.” Because it is difficult to clean and extremely lightweight, polystyrene would be costly to ship to a recycling plant, according to NYC.gov, and would cost the city money.

Alex Dmitriew, the commercial zero waste coordinator for San Francisco said that for similar reasons, the city of San Francisco also could not have a polystyrene recycling program, so the substance ended up as trash, and more often, litter.

“Typically polystyrene never really goes away. It breaks down but never deteriorates, it can end up in our sewer system and on our streets,” said Dmitriew.

San Francisco has had a polystyrene ban in place since 2007, and has been encouraging the usage of sugar cane and plant-based containers, known as PLA or bagasse products. According to the compostable container and utensil distributor worldcentric.org, these organic products biodegrade in 60 days. Whereas, according to the NRDC, most polystyrene and plastic products are non-biodegradable, and stick around in the environment for thousands of years.
An organic PLA hot beverage 8-ounce cup costs less than 10 cents on the worldcentric.org website, only three cents more than the American Chemistry Council’s listed cost of polystyrene containers.

But a 2006 study done by the Plastic Food Service Packaging Corporation found that despite being a petroleum-based substance, polystyrene actually uses less energy than organic substances, because the foam material is 90 percent air.

Eric Goldstein called foul on the results of this study.

“The restaurant industry knows that for environmental safety reasons the city is moving in this direction of phasing out their policy, so they string together some arguments and throw around some numbers,” said Goldstein.

San Francisco has actually found that the city is much cleaner since the implementation of the ban six years ago. According to Dmitriew, within two years of the ban, the city saw a 41 percent decrease in polystyrene litter.

“Polystyrene is far from a perfect substance but it doesn’t mean it wouldn’t seriously impact people who are having trouble making ends meet,” said Andrew Mozsel, a representative for the New York Restaurant Association. He mentions that smaller mom and pop restaurants as well as ethnic restaurants would most likely be affected.

Dmitriew said that San Francisco’s government was concerned about the impact on businesses, and admitted that polystyrene is the cheapest substance around. He said that the city issued an ordinance, saying that any restaurant can apply for a waiver if they feel that they will face economic hardship. In reality, he said, only two restaurants asked for a waiver, out of more than 4,500 food establishments citywide, and the city was more than happy to help the establishments out.

Most restaurants and diners on the Upper East Side that we spoke with, like Three Star Diner on East 76th and 1st Avenue, and Gracie’s Corner Diner on East 86th and 1st Avenue, said that they do not use polystyrene cups or plates, and so the ban would not affect them much.

“We haven’t used Styrofoam in over 15 years. It’s flimsy and doesn’t hold up well. Hot food starts to melt the Styrofoam. We like to use hard, clear plastic,” said Gus Klimis, the owner of East Side Eatery on 1st Avenue and 91st Street.

“Most of our prepared foods have to be heated up, so Styrofoam wouldn’t work. So we don’t use Styrofoam,” said Garman Calle, the manager of E.A.T. on 3rd Avenue and 81st Street.

Officials raise concerns over unlikely stolen city property—manhole covers

Place yourself on a city stoop during a recent smoldering summer evening. Perhaps you are taking your mind off of the heat with a book or cool glass of wine, when you notice a white, windowless van screeching past. Maybe you see two men, wearing what look like uniforms, park and get out of the car brandishing a crowbar.

As you continue to watch, you might observe the pair prying the cover from one of the thousands of manholes throughout the city. You may see them hoist the massive cast-iron disc on its side and roll it over into the van. As quickly as they arrived on your street, the duo is gone along with the manhole cover, and while you might not immediately realize this, you just witnessed a crime.

To most residents, the theft of one of the city’s manhole covers might seem like a lot of trouble for a little reward; the metal sells at scrap yards for around $30. But, due to a variety of factors, not the least of which is the city’s still struggling economy, the thefts of the covers along with other recyclable materials such as discarded refrigerators, air conditioners, paper and cardboard, have become increasingly common.

Together, these thefts have been costing the city millions of dollars in replacement costs and lost revenue while posing various safety hazards to residents.

In an effort to stem the tide of these costly thefts, legislators and city officials met recently to consider more stringent penalties for those caught stealing manhole covers and recyclable metals and papers that would otherwise be picked up by the city’s Department of Sanitation (DSNY) for sale to approved dealers.

The penalty for theft of a manhole cover would be a minimum of $2,500 and up to 30 days in jail. The current penalty varies but is usually about $1,000.

Another bill would punish appliance and paper thieves with fines of up to $5,000 and vehicle impoundment. The current penalty is $2,000 and vehicle impoundment.

Most manholes are merely access points that enable utility personnel to service parts of the city’s infrastructure such as electric, gas and water connections.

Allan Drury, a spokesman for Con Edison, said the utility usually sees only a few manhole cover thefts a year, but between early March and May, there were about 40 covers stolen in Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx.

Drury added that the covers are not easy to steal and weigh as much as 300 pounds. Con Ed uses specially designed hooks to lift the covers, but witnesses have seen thieves using car jacks to steal them. “The cast-iron covers cost about $200 to replace, but our main concern with thefts is public safety. Stealing covers is a serious crime because it puts pedestrians and motorists at risk,” he said.
“We believe those who steal manhole covers usually sell them for scrap metal,” Drury said. “We reach out to scrap metal dealers and urge them to call us and the police if they are offered a cover with a Con Edison logo.”

“It’s a shame that people are risking innocent lives for a quick buck. The desperate act of stealing manhole covers and certain recyclable materials is disruptive to our city’s physical environment and creates dangerous conditions where pedestrians and motorists are forced to fear for their safety,” said Councilman Robert Jackson, who represents northern Manhattan and sits on the five-member committee on sanitation and solid waste.

“As legislators, we need to come together and find real solutions to deter perpetrators from committing these crimes before the problem becomes epidemic,” Jackson added.

Con Edison has reported that witnesses in Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx had described thieves dressed in utility apparel, but without any Con Edison or other utility markings, prying open manhole covers, loading the covers onto pickup trucks, and then driving away.
He added that despite the incidents of open manholes, there were no known cases of people being injured by falling into open manholes.
Drury said that when a cover is reported missing, it is replaced right away. “We secure the area until we are able to place a new cover on the hole.”

In his testimony before the city council committee on sanitation and solid waste, NYC Department of Environment Protection (DEP) Deputy Commissioner James Waters did not mince words when describing the seriousness of the problem of the manhole cover thefts.
Waters said the total number of missing DEP manhole covers in 2009 was 1,608; in 2010, 1,378; in 2011, 1,498. “Those numbers include covers on manholes that lead to sewer infrastructure, as well as covers on manholes that lead to potable water infrastructure,” Waters told the committee.

The committee hearing also revealed that the NYPD’s major case unit had helped to arrest two people back in March who had stolen several manhole covers in the Bronx.

Police did not respond to requests seeking details on the investigation. News reports, however, said that a man arrested in Brooklyn, back in May, was reportedly stealing manhole covers to support a crack cocaine and heroin drug habit.

A clerk at Timpson Scrap Metal in the Bronx said that the going rate for a cast-iron manhole cover would be anywhere from $21 to $30 based on their rate of seven cents per pound for covers that weigh around 300 pounds.

“But we don’t take manhole covers,” said the man, who would not give his name. “Selling manhole covers is illegal. If we get someone who wants to sell one, we have to call the police and report them.”

In fact, one of the provisions of the newly introduced council legislation would be a rewards campaign to encourage citizens to report thefts of recyclable metals.

“The bill would specifically target those profiting from the theft of these materials, an illegal industry that presents a significant threat to public safety,” said Council Member Letitia James, chair of the sanitation and solid waste committee. “Our legislation will give law enforcement an extra tool to combat this theft and ensure that violators are punished both civilly and criminally to the greatest extent of the law.”

According to Kathy Dawkins, a spokesperson for DSNY, under Local Law 50, the Department of Sanitation’s Enforcement Division can take any vehicle used in the theft of recyclables.

In 2011, 53 vehicles were impounded by the agency in Manhattan, 358 citywide; while this year 185 vehicles were impounded in Manhattan and 530 citywide.

“Generally, when the economy is slow there is increase in the theft of recyclables as evident in the number of vehicles the department has impounded,” Dawkins said.

Ron Gonen, a deputy commissioner of recycling for the DSNY, testified at the council hearing that the poaching of recyclables was both a NYC and a national problem that has cost the city and reputable recyclers millions of dollars in lost revenue.

Gonen testified that the poaching of recyclables has seriously affected the city’s own recycling program and that the thefts cost the city income from the sale of its own recyclables. “Scrap iron and steel can be sold for up to $250 per ton, over four times the price from a decade ago, and bundled paper or cardboard can net $230 per ton, more than 32 times the amount the city receives under contracts with its own processing vendors,” Gonen said before the council.

Moreover, Gonen said that today’s thieves are smarter than ever. “Those who poach have grown more sophisticated, and a lucrative, organized underground market has emerged,” Gonen pointed out. “Poachers organize their activity around Department route schedules and often employ multiple individuals using a single van or truck.”

He added that since Local Law 50’s enactment in 2007, the agency has issued more than 1,800 notices of violation and impounded nearly 1,200 vehicles involved in the removal of recyclables from curbsides.

Gonen also pointed out that people removing bulk metal items such as refrigerators and air conditioners containing CFCs or chlorofluorocarbons are endangering people’s health by risking the release of the chemicals into the air.

A spokesperson for the council said the bills are still under review and will likely be further amended by members of the sanitation committee as well as city agency officials before being presented to the full council for a vote. No timeframe was given.

Today’ Host Raises Funds for Breast Cancer

Last week, Today show co-host and breast cancer survivor Hoda Kotb delivered the keynote address at Beth Israel Medical Center and St. Luke’s and Roosevelt Hospital’s Breast Service Luncheon at the Pierre Hotel on the Upper East Side. Her speech was followed by an exclusive fashion show by designer Zang Toi. The event, now in its 21st year, raised $600,000 to benefit breast cancer programs.

Proceeds from the luncheon, which was chaired by Continuum trustee Betty Yarmon and hosted 500 socially prominent women and men, will benefit the Appel-Venet Comprehensive Breast Center at Beth Israel Medical Center and the Comprehensive Breast Center at St. Luke’s and Roosevelt Hospitals. These programs provide diagnosis and treatment, educational programs, screenings, genetic counseling, clinical research, support groups and wellness programs for thousands of women and their families.

UES Recycling Event

Upper Green Side is holding a recycling event Saturday, April 28, from 10 a.m.–3 p.m. at St. Catherine’s Park, 1st Avenue between 67th and 68th streets. They will be accepting electronics (including computers and related accessories and equipment, TVs, DVD players, video games, cell phones and other devices but not appliances, such as toasters, etc.) paper and clothes of all kinds.

Winners of East River Design Competition

CIVITAS NYC, an Upper East Side community urban planning group, recently chose the first, second and third place winners in a competition that challenged designers and planners to envision ways to revitalize the waterfront of the Upper East Side. They reviewed over 90 submissions from more than 25 different countries.

“The area we are looking at is the waterfront park esplanade on the East River from 60th to 120th Street,” said Hunter Armstrong, executive director of CIVITAS. “A lot of people want to see the waterfront on par with downtown and the Upper West Side.”

Although the neighborhood was recently outfitted with a new bridge at 78th Street and has a project in the works for the nearby 91st Street esplanade, Armstrong pointed out that most of the waterfront greenway of the Upper East Side in these areas is falling apart and slowly crumbling into the river.

The competition, which was co-sponsored by Community Board 8, was opened to designers from all over the world in the fall of 2010. While the contest is designed to open a forum for discussion on what can be done to improve the waterfront, there have been no plans thus far by the city or the Parks Department to take up the project.

The first place winner was Joseph Wood, a designer from Hopewell, N.J. His elaborate design called for an underground river of rainwater that would span the distance between 60th and 120th Street. The river would nourish a park on the esplanade above it and provide a way to send rainwater into the East River.

His design also calls for adding several new bridges to the waterfront spanning over the FDR Drive. For his visionary outlook on handling revitalization and water management, Wood was awarded $5,000 by CIVITAS and will have his work displayed at the Re-imagining the Waterfront exhibition at the Museum of the City of New York beginning June 6.

Armstrong hopes that when the exhibition is put on display at the museum, contractors will take notice of the designs and perhaps put a request in to bring one of the ideas to life.

Healthy Kids Day

The Vanderbilt YMCA is hosting its annual Healthy Kids Day this Saturday, April 28, from 10 a.m.–4 p.m. There will be activities for kids and adults, including a bounce house, carnival games, art projects and a family concert with Rolie Polie Guacamole at 11 a.m. The programs are designed to encourage kids to stay active and healthy as summer vacation approaches. The event will take place at the Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, on East 47th Street between 1st and 2nd avenues. All events are free.

New UES Landmark

Last week, the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) officially designated the former Barbizon Hotel for Women building, at 140 E. 63rd St., as the Upper East Side’s newest landmark. The 23-story hotel, constructed in 1927-1928 and designed by architects Murgatroyd & Ogden, became famous in its heyday as a respectable place for single women in the city to find lodging.

The LPC recognized and praised the building for its “masterful handling of its eclectic mixture of North Italian Romanesque, Gothic, and Renaissance ornament.” It was built with studio and rehearsal spaces specifically to attract women in artistic fields, and over the decades many talented and soon-to-be famous women—from comedian Elaine Stritch and actress Candice Bergen to writers Eudora Welty and Sylvia Plath, who fictionalized the place in her novel, The Bell Jar— stayed there. Many women who came to the city for modeling careers or as art students filled the hotel, which was strictly monitored for the presence of men and enforced dress codes and curfews on its young residents.

The Barbizon changed hands several times and was converted to condominiums in 2005, but the LPC determined that it retained enough of its architectural glory—and fascinating New York City history—to be worthy of designation as the 127th individual landmark on the Upper East Side.

Neighborhood Meeting

The East 79th Street Neighborhood Association will be holding its next monthly meeting on Thursday, May 10 at 6 p.m. Officers from the 19th Precinct will report on neighborhood safety concerns, and guest speakers from the group Residents for Sane Trash Solutions, which was formed in opposition to the East. 91st Street Marine Transfer Station, will present information. Representatives from local elected officials will also give updates. At the City University of New York, 535 E. 80th St.

Shredded newspaper makes a great cat litter. It’s the ultimate in recycling.

Not buying one box of litter a week can save you more than $600 a year. That would pay for cleaning a lot of cat teeth or other vet bills, maybe cleaning your own teeth, too.

Other benefits include no cat litter on the floor, carpet, under your feet, between your toes and tracked under your sheets, and no dust on the shelves in the bathroom or wherever you keep the litter box.

It’s surprisingly simple to make the change. Start by putting several—enough to be absorbent—large pages of newspaper in the bottom of the litter box to act as a liner. Then put a couple of handfuls of shredded paper on top (if you don’t already have a paper shredder, you can get a really inexpensive one at Target). Then pour some of the litter your cat is used to on top of the shredded paper. You can even sprinkle a little baking soda for extra odor control. At the end of the day, just lift the ends of the newspaper at the bottom of the box and toss the whole thing out.

Start by lining the box with folded sheets of newspaper, then fill with shredded paper. Photo by Jane Warshaw

Put new paper in every day, gradually using a bit less cat litter until your cat is used to just the paper. It should take less than two weeks.

Shelters often use shredded paper in litter boxes for cats that have had surgery so the litter doesn’t get into their stitches and cause irritation or infection.

Dr. Louise Murray, chief veterinarian for the ASPCA in New York City, confirms the practice.

“Vets use litters like Yesterday’s News after surgery because there is a feeling it will stick less to incisions and perhaps be softer and less traumatic than clay,” she said.

But you don’t have to buy Yesterday’s News, which can cost around $9 per 15-pound bag. You’ve probably already got yesterday’s Times, Post or Daily News.

I have three cats ranging in ages from 2 to 9. They all made the transition easily. Even cats that I’ve fostered for various rescue groups accepted the shredded paper—from day one.

In other words, you don’t have to have a kitten for this to work. Nobody ever said, “You can’t teach an old cat new tricks.”