MAKING A MUSEUM: Materializing Regimes of Value with the NYC Department of Sanitation

Household garbage piled up and in cans in fenced-in yard at 206 E. 206th St.

Tree cover stuffed with garbage at E. 206th St. and E. Mosholu Parkway South.

Another tree cover stuffed with garbage, E. 206th St. and E. Mosholu Parkway South.

Black grocery bag at base of tree in park area along Mosholu Parkway, at E. 205th St. and E. Mosholu Parkway South. Lots of these floating around in the neighborhood. Also, who picks up all the leaves in the park area?

Litter under car on curb along E. Mosholu Parkway South at E. 205th Street. (Plastic knife, bottles, paper, cans, napkins, etc. . . .)

Honey box? Quasi-identifiable can left by a tree at E. Mosholu Parkway South and E. 205th St.

Inside triangular fenced-in vacant lot bordered by Lisbon Place, E. 205th Street and E. Mosholu Parkway South: assorted litter. Red shopping basket, TV dinner tray, Dunkin Donuts cup and water bottle, etc.

From E. 205th St. side of triangular lot: tires, chain, caution tape, fencing, a lined garbage can with more garbage in it (Styrofoam, a juice box, etc. – I couldn't get the camera to focus on it through the fence).

Dog cleanup sign along E. 205th St. and triangular lot, typical residential building in background on Lisbon Place.

Must have been trash day (Tuesday, 10-9-07; day after Columbus Day holiday): bagged and unbagged trash left on curbside for pickup outside residential buildings, E. Mosholu Parkway South at E. 205 th St.

205 E. 205th St.: cans, garbage left out; DSNY recycling notices posted on building wall.

Further along E. 205th St.: bagged trash in cans on an upper curb at a residence. Neatly-planted flowers in foreground – despite some of the litter in the area, some people do make noticeable efforts to keep their property looking nice.

Cans near alleyway at residential buildings along E. 205th St., more DSNY recycling posters. Clear blue bags contain recyclables (?). Metal cans common but not exclusive in this neighborhood.

NYPD "Operation Clean Halls" notice – posted on several buildings in the area. Indicative of efforts to clean up and maintain the neighborhood? (This is where I got chewed out by the scary man and turned around to go back down E. 205 th; pictures might not be so thorough or systematically documented after this because I was kind of rattled!)

Back around to the same garbage at 205 E. 205th St.: a look inside the recycling bags.

E. Mosholu Parkway South at Van Cortlandt Ave. East (one street past E. 206th St.; numbering skips from 206th to 210th): litter scattered on park bench and in lawn.

Bagged trash and furniture put out for pickup outside residential buildings at E. Mosholu Parkway South and Van Cortlandt Ave. East.

The fence messed up the camera focus (or I don’t know how to refocus it . . .): recycling bags (?) in alleyway between apartment buildings along E. 206th St. (between E. Mosholu Parkway South and Grand Concourse)

No Littering sign along E. 206th Street between E. Mosholu Parkway South and Grand Concourse.

Separated recycling bags, trash bags and cardboard in alleyway between residential buildings along E. 206th St.

E. 204th St. and E. Mosholu Parkway South: trash on and around a park bench, inc. discarded clothing items.

E. 204th St. and E. Mosholu Parkway South: trash strewn in park – paper, cardboard, some plastic bags.

E. 204th St. and E. Mosholu Parkway South: dog cleanup sign posted along fence. (Note: this was often not observed in the area, but I’ll spare you pictures of that.)

Typical garbage bin at E. 204th St. and Grand Concourse (shot out car window at a stoplight), typically full. These bins were more common along Grand Concourse itself than in the side streets or along E. Mosholu Parkway South, although I did see them here and there in the park. Note the sticker: “no household waste.” This also seemed to be frequently ignored; trash in many of these bins looked suspiciously household-y.

Broom passing by at intersection of E. 205th St. and Lisbon Place (top corner of vacant triangular lot). The broom caught me off guard and I shot it quickly (and badly) out my car window as I was driving by. I should have guessed it was coming, though: everyone along E. Mosholu Parkway South and the interior streets was double-parked for street-sweeping.

Valentine Ave. and Bedford Park Blvd. (E. 200th St.): Dog cleanup/no littering sign.

Hull Ave. and E. Mosholu Parkway North: filled garbage bag in park. Someone must be picking up the trash. Who does this? The park seems to be part of the city Greenstreets program.

Approaching Bronx River Parkway exit on the Mosholu Parkway proper, northbound; overpass in rearview(?): trash on side of the road (pizza box and Burger King cup?). Same trash was there on Saturday, 10-6-07, too.

More trash on roadside approaching Bronx River Parkway northbound exit. The whole roadside was littered like this.