Public Works Director Tom Cotter announced that an enforcement wave of Bayonne’s cleaning and weeding requirements “will begin shortly.” Director Cotter said, “At this time, we are putting the public on notice to clean up their properties and to cut down high weeds before the enforcement drive starts. We are taking this action in response to complaints from the public about litter and overgrown weeds this summer.”
The Public Works Department is doing its part to pick up litter this summer. The Mayor’s Clean Team is a group of young people who have been hired to pick up litter this summer, primarily on the main avenues in Bayonne. They have picked up hundreds of bags’ worth of litter since beginning their activity in late June. Director Cotter said, “The Mayor’s Clean Team has been very helpful. They cannot do everything that needs to be done, because it takes the whole community to keep Bayonne clean.” Director Cotter continued, “Bayonne has more than 30,000 housing units and more than 13,000 taxpayers. Owners, property managers, and tenants will all have to pitch in to get the job done.”
The Public Works Department will be circulating a notice around the community to remind people about their responsibilities. Bayonne’s municipal code states, “It shall be the duty of the owner, lessee, tenant, occupant, or person in charge of any structure to keep and cause to be kept the sidewalk and curb abutting the building or structure free from obstruction or nuisances of every kind, and to keep sidewalks, areaways, backyards, courts, and alleys free from litter.”
Director Cotter concluded, “If we get into the habit of sweeping and weeding in front of our properties, in no time Bayonne will be beautifully clean.”
