Dive Brief:

• New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer wrote a letter to Kathryn Garcia, New York City’s Department of Sanitation Commissioner, asking the department to look into a ticketing policy that may be unfairly targeting business owners at night.
• Property owners have been receiving "Notices of Violation" from the City of New York Department of Sanitation (DSNY) late at night, after the businesses have closed. The speculation is that people are illegally dumping bagged waste at retail stores under the cover of darkness.
• Stringer requested that the department investigate the policy and make attempts to confirm if the trash left behind is from the property owner or another party. He also asked about providing proof of the infraction, such as by taking an image at the scene of the crime.

Dive Insight:

A spokesperson for the DSNY said that one violation has already been withdrawn after a review. The department did reiterate that violations still “may be issued at any time of the day or evening.” 

But so far, business owners say they're still receiving violation notices as the DSNY figures out how to approach this dispute.