Every morning the tree bed outside the laundromat on my corner looks like a bodega dumpster after a raccoon rave. Chicken bones, a torn black bag, half a chopped cheese, mini liquor bottles. Tree's still alive, somehow.

My landlord says it's not our building's tree because of the curb cut. The laundromat guy says he sweeps the sidewalk but not the dirt. I've filed 311 twice; they clean it, then two days later it's back. Do I just accept that this pit is a permanent trash vortex? Has anyone actually gotten a corner basket or something that helped?

Classic. The tree pit basically becomes the block trash can when there's no corner basket within eyeshot. You can keep filing 311 under dirty tree bed, but it's not a high-priority cleanup. If you can get a litter basket installed at the corner, that sometimes helps. Community board can push it, but it's slow.

In the meantime, a little wire fence or even a few big flowers can make the pit look less like a dumping spot, but it's not a guarantee. Street tree care is a weird gray zone between Parks and DSNY. I'd start with your community board's sanitation committee.

Wait, so DSNY doesn't just clean the tree beds? I just moved here and thought Parks handled the tree and Sanitation handled the sidewalk. Is the dirt part considered park or sidewalk? Also, if I file 311 do I need to include a photo? The tree bed in front of my building is also gross, and I've been too nervous to touch it because I don't want a ticket for cleaning it wrong or planting something without permission.

Not a dumb question. The city has an adopt-a-tree program for minor plantings, but if you want to install a fence or tree guard you're supposed to get Parks approval. Plenty of people zip-tie chicken wire anyway and nobody bothers them unless it chokes the tree. But honestly a fence can turn into a bag-hitching post, so it's not a magic fix.

Better to get the block association or a few neighbors to request a DSNY litter basket for that corner. You can file 311 for a basket, but keep following up with the community board or your council person. 311 alone is a drop in the bucket.

Same problem down in Battery Park. A nice big raised tree bed became a dog poop bag depository and protein shake graveyard. I emailed our council person with photos and CC'd the block association. A few months later the bed got cleaned and a green metal tree guard went in. So it can work, but it's more of a political request than a 311 ticket.

The real issue is no corner basket. If there's no public bin in sight, people will use the dirt. Call the district manager. They know who to bug at DSNY and Parks.

Hot take: the mini fencing makes it worse. People just hang the bag on the fence and now it's a tree ornament. On my Astoria block, the only thing that worked was a couple of small planters with actual flowers in the pit. Once it looked maintained, people treated it less like a dumpster. Then the person who maintained it moved and it reverted.

If you're not going to keep it up, don't bother. For the immediate fix, file 311 and mention rats or broken glass if it's true. A half-eaten chopped cheese is rat bait, and that'll get them moving faster than generic litter.

Good intel, all. I didn't realize the council person would even open an email about a tree pit; I figured they'd laugh. There's no corner basket for a few blocks, so that's probably the core issue. The deli on the corner locked their private bin because people were tossing whole kitchen bags, which makes the pit worse.

@AstoriaAndy you're right about the fence. I've seen one around the block with a bag literally tied to the post. Maybe I'll try the rat line in 311 next time. I don't have a block association, but I might accidentally become one before spring.

Okay follow-up because I tried to use the 311 app and got confused. Is it 'dirty tree bed' or 'litter in tree bed'? When I search tree bed it gives me tree debris and dead animal stuff. If I pick the wrong one, does it still get routed to the right place? I want to report the pit on my block.

Also @Gowanus_G I feel you on becoming the block association. My landlord won't even unlock the sorting bins half the time. Would a little sign saying 'Please don't dump here' be weird, or would it just become part of the trash collage?

In 311, just pick the closest thing; it usually gets rerouted. Use the app and add a photo with a note like 'recurring garbage in tree bed, broken glass mixed in, attracting rats.' The word rat does a lot of work.

A sign isn't weird, but it'll probably end up as part of the trash collage. I'd skip it. Instead do one of two things: get a cheap planter box and stick some mums in it, or get a wire tree guard. If you do the guard, leave a little space and anchor it so it doesn't become a bag rack. Also check if your community board has a tree bed stewardship day; some do spring plantings.

Second the rat note. I filed for months with no movement, then re-filed with 'rat activity around trash in tree bed near school' and it was marked resolved in two days. Maybe they cleaned it, maybe a neighbor did, but it stayed clear for about a week.

The missing corner basket is the real problem. If you can get three or four neighbors to request a basket at that intersection through 311 and the community board, DSNY can put one in, but don't expect it overnight. Asking the deli for a public bin is probably a nonstarter because they don't want to empty it.

Don't put a sign. A sign in a tree pit is basically an invitation to leave a bag on the sign. I'm with @GreenwichVillage_G on the planter route: make it look like somebody gives a damn. We did hardy succulents in a shallow planter anchored with landscape staples. It lasted one summer before someone stole one planter and the rest filled with pizza crusts.

That's the real NYC story: it only stays clean if one specific person quietly adopts it and complains for five years. Good luck, @Gowanus_G.

This thread is basically every tree pit in Manhattan. I'll add one thing: if the bed is directly in front of the building, your super is not being straight with you if they say it's not your building's responsibility. The owner is usually responsible for the sidewalk and the strip between the curb and the property line, though tree pits fall into a gray zone. Good luck getting them to sweep.

The city won't ticket unless a sanitation enforcement agent catches it. I'd still file 311 with photo and send it to your council member. In the meantime, a few large flat stones in the dirt can make it less inviting as a loose trash pit, but people will still leave bottles on the rocks.