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Residents of the Upper East Side are fed up with stepping in dog waste—and they’re taking action to clean up the sidewalks.
At a recent Community Board 8 Sanitation & Environment Committee meeting, local advocates urged support for pending legislation that would require the Department of Sanitation to install and maintain dog waste bag dispensers on public trash cans. The bill, which Council Member Julie Menin sponsored in 2024–following some earlier efforts to solve the problem–has stalled due to disagreements between city agencies.
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One board member, speaking in a personal capacity, presented the case: “We have an issue. We have excessive dog waste on the Upper East Side. It’s really affecting our quality of life.”She cited a petition with “110 local signatures and counting” and called on the board to pass a resolution in support of the bill. “This is not just gross,” she said. “It’s really causing a health hazard and rodent issue.”
“It can cause infections, parasites, allergies, skin rashes… It is also harmful for high risk groups, such as kids who play from hand to mouth… anyone who’s autoimmune compromised… It attracts rodents—nutrients in dog waste such as fat and proteins can contribute to a rat problem.”
A city representative from the Department of Environmental Protection added: “We don’t want the dog waste going into the catch basins, because it will end up in our waterways. As you know, with heavy rain events… some of that storm water may go directly to the receiving body of water… our East River.”
New York City dogs produce an estimated 27,000 tons of waste annually. Despite pooper-scooper laws, complaints are climbing. The city received 1,622 dog waste 311 complaints in the first half of 2025, up from 1,426 in 2024 and 1,392 in 2023.
“Since 2017, New York City has added about 1,100 dispensers,” the presenter said. “51 zip codes have zero dispensers… and those usually get the highest amount of complaints. Zip codes with more dispensers generally have fewer complaints.”
ALSO READ: Upper East Side Residents Wage Poster War Against Serial Dog Poop Offender
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While the Sanitation Department is responsible for maintaining the dispensers, the Department of Transportation has reportedly opposed having them attached to street furniture, leading to a bureaucratic stalemate. “Progress is stalled. Disagreements between Sanitation and Transportation Department over dispensers… trash cans versus bus stop benches,” she said.A representative from Sanitation confirmed that enforcement is nearly impossible.
“We have to see someone physically not pick up the dog poop and give us their ID. Then we can issue them a ticket.” Only eight tickets have been issued in the past two years. “That was also from 1978. When we adjusted what it would be to inflation, it would be a little over $1,000 today.”
Upper East Side residents who joined the meeting didn’t hold back. “This neighborhood is becoming unlivable,” said one attendee. “You have to look down, as opposed to appreciating the architecture.”
Others shared firsthand accounts of neighbors placing used poop bags on top of sealed garbage bins—bags which are then left behind on the curb when sanitation workers collect the trash. “They are not putting those dog waste bags into the trucks, so they end up on the sidewalk, on the curb,” one person said. “It looks like a park-like environment… but the dog waste becomes just piles of these green bags.”
One participant explained the key to Boston’s apparent success: “It’s all about logistics… available bag dispensers that are right next to garbage… clear signage… encouraging for it to become a social norm and shared responsibility.”
“People love to complain about this issue,” the presenter said. “But they love to do nothing about it at the same time.”
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Several people questioned why enforcement wasn’t being taken more seriously. “If a baby leaves a diaper on the street, the mama gets scolded… but we can’t scold the dog owners?”Another added, “We pay ridiculous rents and mortgages in this part of the city, and to have, on top of that, have a civic responsibility to, you know, to educate clearly educated people around us, that doesn’t make sense. We should just fine them and then they’ll stop doing it.”
Suggestions ranged from increased ticketing and public signage to TikTok-style campaigns and even DNA testing. “You could go really, really scientific on this stuff,” said the presenter, “but it’s hard to enforce… The first step of what we could do is just get these bags out.”
Others emphasized education and empathy. “Be the right person, be the good person, be the nice person,” said one resident. “I always carry extra bags. If I see someone who didn’t pick up, I just offer them one. Most people say, ‘Thank you, I ran out.’ Whether it’s true or not doesn’t matter.”
The resolution ultimately passed unanimously. It calls on city and state representatives to pass the legislation requiring dog waste bag dispensers on public litter baskets and to provide the necessary funding for installation and refilling. It also encourages public education campaigns, increased enforcement, and a “cultural mindset that recognizes our shared responsibility to keep our neighborhood and city clean.”
Some of the quotes in this article have been edited for grammar and clarity.
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