Midwood, Brooklyn, NY - Observing Shabbas a Religious Necessity But a Sanitation Dilemma

Midwood, Brooklyn, NY - The area of Brooklyn east of Midwood houses has large Orthodox Jewish families with children that can produce large amounts of garbage, and for some of the Orthodox families, getting that garbage carted away has become a weekly annoyance.

The city collects the area’s trash on Wednesday and Saturday mornings, and the Saturday collection day presents a problem. On that day, the Jewish Sabbath, observant Jews refrain from activities like carrying items on and off their property, and that prohibition includes moving trash cans to and from the curb. As a result, Orthodox families there must put their trash cans out before sundown on Friday, and they cannot retrieve them until Saturday night.

The city, however, has its own rules, and some residents have complained of receiving summonses for putting out their garbage too early. The problem, which has worsen because the Sabbath can start in winter shortly after 4 p.m. on Friday.
According to State Assemblywoman Helene Weinstein, who represents the area, the Department of Sanitation assured her a year ago that residents would not get tickets as long as they waited until 4 p.m. Friday to put out their garbage. But the temptation to take out the trash earlier is strong, said Raphael Treitel, an Orthodox Jew who lives on Avenue M with his wife and five children. “People don’t want to be walking around in their Sabbath clothing schlepping garbage cans,” he said.

Most complaints, though, center on the empty cans that spend all day Saturday at the curb. In the winter, Ms. Weinstein said, “the cans are sitting there in the snow, maybe covered with snow, being blown around, becoming a hazard to people in the street.”
Matthew LiPani, a Sanitation Department spokesman, said that his agency was sensitive to the community’s needs and that summonses were issued only when trash cans had not been retrieved by Monday morning. But he added: “Changing the day of collection is not an option. That would involve changing the whole district and could upset schedules in other areas.”
Still, Mr. Treitel said: “For us, it’s not a matter of personal inconvenience. It’s a matter of religious necessity, which is a little bit different.”