Transcript: Mayor Adams Appears Live On PIX11’s “PIX11 Morning News”

March 1, 2024

Dan Mannarino: Put it away or you will pay, the city sending business owners a very clear message that new rules go into effect today on how commercial trash is thrown out. Joining us this morning to talk about that, Mayor Eric Adams and Sanitation Commissioner Jessica Tisch, to discuss these new rules and more. So, good morning to the both of you.

Mayor Eric Adams: Thank you. Good morning. You know, as we say, this is our trash talk morning.

Mannarino: Oh, there you go. Trash talk. So, let’s talk trash. All right, Mayor Adams, Jessica Tisch. Let’s get right into this. Phase 3, reducing the 44 million pounds of trash that are put out in the streets every day. So, all businesses now must use these bins. So, that means every mom and pop shop along with the big box chain stores. Talk about it.

Mayor Adams: And it’s done in layers, and the commissioner will talk to you about some of the layers. But we’re clear that as we try to make not only a beautification move, but how do we deal with the rodent problem, and just the unsightliness of trash. We wanted to do it gradually in phases but not delay the action.

People thought it was going to take us anywhere from four to five years. Two years, two months to later, we’re going to have 50 percent of our trash and bins. And commissioner, why don’t you talk about how we’re doing it?

Commissioner Jessica Tisch, Department of Sanitation: Yes. There are 200,000 businesses in the city. They range everything from the dentist’s office to the big box store. They produce 20 million pounds of trash every single day. And we have said in different phases that businesses have to start using containers with lids rather than putting their trash bags on the floor. And today we roll out our final phase and this bin mandate covers all businesses in New York City now.

Mannarino: So, commissioner, there is that mandate, right? So, what is the period, the grace period for those who don’t have the bins; and then after that, what are the fines for those businesses?

Commissioner Tisch: I don’t like to call it a grace period.

Mannarino: Okay.

Commissioner Tisch: The mandate goes into effect today. We are giving out one month worth of warnings, which has been a very effective strategy we’ve used in prior phases. But starting April 1st, we will begin summonsing for failure to comply.

This is a very easy rule to comply with. It’s very easy to buy the bins. If you’re a business owner and you don’t have the bins yet, you can go out and get them. Your private carter can provide them usually within 24 hours. There are lots of different options.

Mannarino: Yes, and you’ve kind of put out some of the shame game on social media, right? Someone doesn’t have the bin, they have the trash, but has that been working for you?

Commissioner Tisch: You would be surprised at how well it works. We’ve been putting it on social media. We’ve been doing fairly robust enforcement of the rules. And we’ve also started writing letters, at the mayor’s direction, to CEOs of large chain stores that aren’t complying with pictures of their store’s lack of compliance.

Mannarino: Ah, okay. I do want to ask the question because I’ve noticed that on some of the corners, in Manhattan at least, you got rid of the metal trash bin, right? The overall, but without that, some people are just kind of throwing trash on the street. So, is there a phase of putting actual bins on the corner so that there isn’t just this trash pile up?

Commissioner Tisch: Oh, we still have 23,000 litter baskets on the streets of New York City. So, if we’re taking mesh baskets off the street, we’re replacing them with our brand-new, we call it our better bin, our litter basket of the future that is rat proof. So, there’s certainly not fewer litter baskets on the street today than there were in the past.

Mannarino: Okay. And quickly here, Mayor, what’s the next phase?

Mayor Adams: Well, what we want to do is move to one to nine family units. That is an important part of the initiative. We have a real plan in rolling that out. The goal was clearly not to wait four to five years. We wanted to do it right away. We’re leading the entire country on this. Unfortunately, we’re not leading the globe. Others have already started the containerization process in their countries. We are going to get it done here.

Mannarino: There you go. All right, mayor, I do want to pivot to some other news. The FBI executing a search warrant at the home of one of your top aides,s Winnie Greco, as well as the New World Mall in Queens, sources telling us that Greco’s electronic devices were taken. So, first, let me get your reaction to this as this is now the third person close to you involved in this FBI raid of sorts.

Mayor Adams: Whenever there’s an inquiry, the review must be done, and that’s the process. My job is to stay focused on running the city. I’m not going to remove trash off the street and keep the city safe from violence if I’m distracted.

That’s something that all of the former mayors shared with me: Eric, there are going to be times when things are going to happen. You have to maintain focus, no distraction and just grind. I say that over and over again. And so let’s let the review take its course and we’re going to do, as we always say, cooperate, and I tell everyone, follow the law.

Mannarino: Greco was immediately placed on leave by you. Right? And that is because of this raid, that move happening very swiftly. So, will her leave be with pay, without pay? And do you expect her to come back to the administration?

Mayor Adams: She’s right now on sick leave, right now. And as the process unfolds more and we get more information, we’ll make an evaluation then.

Mannarino: So, the sick leave has nothing to do with the investigation that played out yesterday?

Mayor Adams: Not at this time.

Mannarino: So, after her sick leave ends, is she going to come back to work?

Mayor Adams: We are going to do an evaluation based on information that comes in.

Mannarino: Okay. And Mr. Mayor, are you at all worried that the third person now close to you, that you yourself are the target of this investigation? Did you speak to the FBI yesterday?

Mayor Adams: No, we did not. And no, I am not worried. I’ve lived by one rule that I share with everyone, follow the rules, follow the law. I did this my entire life as a law enforcement officer and I’m going to continue to do that.

Mannarino: And lastly, on this topic, do you have full confidence in Winnie Greco?

Mayor Adams: Yes, I do.

Mannarino: All right, Mr. Mayor, I do want to move on to the migrant crisis. You mentioned this week that you wanted to take a look at the sanctuary city laws, right? You talked about it Tuesday or your weekly briefing. The City Council says, though, and they told us right here on the morning news, they will absolutely not change the law this go around. So, what does that leave you with? Can you and will you take executive action to change sanctuary policies?

Mayor Adams: It is my strong belief that the overwhelming number of migrants and asylum seekers are here to pursue the next step on the American dream. We have a small number that are repeatedly violent. They’re committing real violent acts that includes shooting at a police officer.

I believe those who do that action, we are going to do our job of make an arrest, the courts will prosecute and I think the federal government should take the necessary steps of deporting those after they serve their time, because if they don’t serve their time here, they could just come back here and do it all over again.

Mannarino: So, can you take executive action?

Mayor Adams: We are going to look at what options we have available to us. The City Council gave us their belief, and we’re going to look at what available actions that we have because my job is to keep this city safe and the residents of the city safe, and migrants, because yesterday you heard that a migrant was stabbed. So, we want to keep everyone in the city safe.

Mannarino: A big topic has been those prepaid debit cards, right, and the rollout, distribution of them. Your deputy mayor told me that that would happen soon as early as this week. Obviously, that’s not happening. But is there a timeline of the rollout? It could it be next week?

Mayor Adams: The team is really making sure we get it right. This is an important new form of saving  taxpayers’ dollars. We’re talking about over $7.2 million a year that we’re looking to save. I told the team, we must bring down 30 percent costs in migrant and asylum seekers spending. Now that we are managing this, we must make sure we get it right. And so I have a lot of confidence in how the first deputy mayors and Deputy Mayor Williams-Isom rolled it out.

Mannarino: Understood. And I just want to ask you lastly, you mentioned safety. There was this breaking news this morning in Crown Heights, Mr. Mayor, a 13-year-old shot and killed. This is the third fatal shooting in that section of Brooklyn just this week. So, hearing that news, what’s the answer?

Mayor Adams: Well, I know that community so well. I served there as a state senator. I live and own property in that area. It’s traumatic to any family member to lose a loved one. My heart goes out to that family. And I could easily talk about how we decrease shootings, decrease homicides, and many of the major crimes. But that’s no consolation to that family. We have to get illegal guns off the streets. We’ve gotten thousands off the streets.

But this is why I keep stating, I want my officers focusing on public protection, and that’s what they’re doing. The number of interactions of arrests and just enforcement has increased under this administration. But we have to continually remain vigilant, and this is what I talk about all the time when I say our prosperity is rooted to public safety.

Mannarino: Okay, understood. Mayor Adams, Commissioner Tisch, thank you very much. Appreciate it. Commissioner Tisch, I know you have a tall task, 44 million pounds. That’s no small feat. So, thank you for what you do each and every day to you and your team. Great to see both of you.

Mayor Adams: Thank you. Take care.