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New Yorkers love to talk trash, but starting this week, that conversation is going 3D.
The Sanitation Foundation, the official nonprofit partner of the NYC Department of Sanitation, just kicked off Don’t Do New York City Dirty, a punchy new anti-littering campaign asking locals to back up their big city pride with clean city habits. The campaign launches with “The Dirty Truth,” a public art installation at Cooper Square in the East Village made entirely from oversized versions of the kind of garbage New Yorkers toss daily: takeout containers, soda bottles, coffee cups and more.
The activation, open today through Saturday, May 17, was created by culture-first agency Team Epiphany and features interactive components that turn everyday litter into eye-catching sculptures designed to challenge your perceptions—and maybe your behavior. Visitors can explore the exhibit, snap photos and learn about the very real impact that trash has on NYC’s neighborhoods.
According to a new study from the Sanitation Foundation, 83-percent of New Yorkers say they’re proud of the city, but nearly 40-percent admit to littering. The campaign aims to close that gap with a cheeky but firm message: Don’t do New York City dirty.
The new campaign will be impossible to ignore, popping up on sanitation trucks, LinkNYC kiosks, buses, movie screens, social media and more. It’s backed by a citywide media blitz and amplified by short videos from NYC-favorite filmmaker Nicholas Heller (a.k.a. New York Nico), featuring local icons like rapper Nems, the Green Lady of Brooklyn and even Andy Cohen, who reminds New Yorkers, “I may love a little trash talk, but I’d never trash this city.”
And if you’re fired up? Lend a hand. The Sanitation Foundation is hosting a community cleanup at Cooper Square on Friday, May 16. You can also join long-term programs like Adopt Your Spot NYC or their Summer of Sports Cleanup Series.
Because in New York, nothing says pride quite like a clean sidewalk.