Bill Revokes Permits For Violators
City Council Member Karen Koslowitz recently introduced legislation that would penalize food handlers and other establishments for failing to adhere to proper protocol when discarding waste.
The proposed law will revoke the licenses of food handlers, or vendors who are caught dumping oil, grease or other toxic refuse into the cities sewer system or other public trash receptacles, two or more times within a twelve month period.
A penalty will be issued for the first offense where fines can be up to $10,000.
“New York City has thousands of vendor’s throughout the five boroughs and it is important that waste is being discarded properly,” said Koslowitz. “On several occasions, I have seen food handlers take grease and cooking oil at the end of the day and dump it into the catch basins. Not only is this unsanitary but it’s also damaging to the city’s sewer system.”
According to the Department of Environmental Protection, grease is an example of waste that the sewer system cannot handle. When discharged into the sewers, it can cause sanitary sewer overflows and interfere with the city’s sewage treatment operations.
The new legislation seeks to ensure that vendors and other establishments are following proper procedures as required by law when discarding waste.
