In an editorial, Jersey City Ward D council candidate Elvin Dominici Encarnación explains how he plans on improving trash pickup in the Heights.
If you live in Jersey City’s Ward D, you’ve probably seen the same thing I see every day: trash bags left on the sidewalk for too long, garbage bins overflowing, litter piling up in the streets. Sometimes the trucks come late, sometimes they don’t come at all.
And when people try to report it, nothing really gets done. Between February 2024 and February 2025, residents in our ward filed 1,491 complaints about missed pickups, trash spills, and other garbage-related issues using the city’s SeeClickFix app.
That’s a clear sign that the system is not working the way it should. Our neighborhoods deserve better. Clean streets are not a luxury.
They’re a basic service that every resident should be able to count on. I’ve spoken to hundreds of my neighbors, and I’ve heard your frustration. We all want the same thing: a clean, safe, and respectful city.
If we’re paying for trash pickup, we should actually get trash pickup—on time and done right. This isn’t about politics. It’s about common sense and pride in where we live.
When I’m elected to City Council, I’ll fight to bring real solutions that are simple, affordable, and already working in nearby cities.
What we can do right now: First, we need daily garbage pickup in busy areas like Central Avenue and near our schools and parks. In places like Hoboken and New York City, daily pickup has helped prevent overflow and rodent problems.
It can work here too. Second, we need more public trash and recycling cans in areas where people walk, shop, or wait for the bus. A lot of the litter we see could be avoided if people had somewhere to throw it away.
Third, as councilman, I will host regular community cleanups across all 31 districts of Ward D. Every weekend, we’ll focus on two districts—one on Saturday, one on Sunday—so that every part of the ward is reached in a consistent rotation.
These cleanups will be supported with city-provided bags, gloves, and tools. Residents, businesses, community groups, and block associations will be openly invited to take part. This isn’t symbolic—it’s scheduled, sustained, and ward-wide.
I also support an “Adopt-a-Block” program where residents, business owners, or even school groups can take responsibility for helping keep a sidewalk or corner clean.
The city should back them with resources and regular support. For the long term, we need stronger policies that work. We should break the city into smaller trash zones and allow different companies to compete for each area.
This would create real competition and give us more control to demand better service. We also need strict standards in every city contract. If a company misses pickups, damages property, or ignores complaints, there should be real penalties.
Residents should also be able to track how each company is performing. Another big issue is the lack of clear rules. A lot of people still don’t know when to put their bins out or how to handle bulk items.
We need better communication, better signage, and more consistent enforcement. Finally, I will sponsor legislation to create dedicated Department of Public Works crews for each ward, staffed by DPW workers who live in the communities they serve.
Ward D will have its own assigned crew of DPW employees who are Ward D residents—responsible for daily maintenance, small-scale cleanups, and rapid response to sanitation complaints.
This creates local accountability, delivers faster service, and ensures our neighborhoods are maintained by workers with a direct stake in their condition. We take pride in our homes. Now our city needs to show that same pride in our streets.
We don’t need more excuses. We need action. Ward D deserves cleaner streets, more respect for our communities, and real accountability. I’m ready to bring these ideas to the City Council and fight for the change we all want to see.
Let’s stop settling for the same problems year after year. Let’s clean up Ward D—together.
Yes to all this – AND – adding more pickups and trash cans should be city-wide. Clean streets are a basic function of city government that this city has repeatedly failed to accomplish.