Eric Adams

NYC Sanitation Tells Us Where to ‘Stick It' in Hilarious Anti-Litter Campaign

The agency is in the midst of a strategic overhaul. On April 1, new garbage rules took effect for the first time since 1969. And now this

NBCUniversal Media, LLC

New York City's sanitation department is starting fresh this month.

A week after rolling out the city's first new trash pickup rules in more than a half-century, the department is at it again.

It launched its first major new anti-litter campaign across the five boroughs in at least 15 years on Monday -- one that aligns with the recently refreshed We ❤️ NYC slogan that some New Yorkers have, shall we say, strong feelings about.

Those on the hate side of love may find the new Department of Sanitation ads particularly appealing. The ad campaign, designed pro bono in a collab with VMLY&R, intends to encourage all New Yorkers to help the cleanliness cause by appealing, a bit, to the cynics with an open-ended invitation to call out people who do annoying stuff.

Like what? Like leaving your dog's poop on the sidewalk for anyone else to step in but you -- and tossing your used cups or candy wrappers or whatever trash you've got on you onto city streets.

The litter and poo problem has gotten out of control, the city says. And this campaign tells people "where to stick it."

Say what?

"New Yorkers have had enough of litter, enough of filth on our sidewalks, and enough of feeling like there's nothing they can do about it," Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement. "This administration has committed to ‘Get Stuff Clean,’ and our strategy is working, but we need everyone to do their part, and that's what this campaign is all about."

The launch comes amid a strategic realignment of the city's sanitation department, one that includes cleaning more than 1,500 long-ignored areas across the five boroughs, cracking down on illegal dumping and, yes, changing trash pickup times -- you know, so sanitation crews have a chance to get to your mess before all the rats do.

The new ads will run on bus stops and LinkNYC kiosks through the rest of the month. See more of the creative below.

new nyc anti-litter campaign
NYC
Here's a compilation of some of the portrait versions.

NYC

NYC

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