Sanitation Commissioner John J. Doherty announced today that Sanitation Police seized and impounded 21 vehicles that were involved in incidents of theft of recyclables during the month of May 2008.   The DSNY Police Force, composed of uniformed and plainclothes Sanitation Police Officers, patrol areas where large amounts of curbside recyclables are being removed unlawfully.

The May 2008 impoundments included 10 in the Bronx, six in Brooklyn, two in Queens, two on Staten Island, and one in Manhattan.  In October 2007, Mayor Bloomberg signed Local Law No. 50 of 2007.  Among its provisions, this new law imposed stiff sanctions against persons operating a motor vehicle who unlawfully remove or transport recyclables placed out at residential or commercial curbsides, and from premises occupied by city agencies and institutions that receive Department collection service.  Sanctions include increasing the civil fines from $100 to $2,000 for a first time offender and $5,000 for second and repeat offenders within a twelve-month period. 

Commissioner Doherty said, "One of the Sanitation Police's main priorities is to stop the unlawful removal of recyclables from city streets by individuals seeking to make a profit out of curbside recycling collections, which is the Department's sole responsibility."