Closing Bell: Fighting Unwanted Fliers
Now the long arm of the law is backing up the handwritten “no menus” sign found in so many residential buildings. The Sun reports that the City Council has passed the Lawn Litter Law, banning businesses from leaving fliers in front of homes with signs like this: “Do not place unsolicited advertising materials on this…
Now the long arm of the law is backing up the handwritten “no menus” sign found in so many residential buildings. The Sun reports that the City Council has passed the Lawn Litter Law, banning businesses from leaving fliers in front of homes with signs like this: “Do not place unsolicited advertising materials on this property.” Homeowners and landlords can file a complaint with the Department of Sanitation if paper-crazed advertisers don’t comply.
New Law Allows Residents to Fight Unwanted Fliers [NY Sun]
Good feed back and I do appreciate the views others have posted here. To IKnow – i like the idea and may try it…very clever. To Nokilissa – I do try to invest my energy elsewhere! I really do work 60+ hours a week at a law firm, I try cases to verdict every month, I am a father, I do a lot of pro bono work for battered women and even a little for a cat shelter believe it or not. With so little time left in my days, you can see how important this issue is to me if I still manage to make it such a battle.
I suppose there is no good answer here and I understand these guys are just the earning a buck, but the line must be drawn somewhere. Going to the top has little to no effect, so I’m starting at the bottom and hoping enough abuse will lead to complacency and reluctance to deliver…then perhaps this will rise up through the ranks and eventually get to the top. Perhaps this is just a dream, but it’s the best i’ve got right now. Still, i give credit to the local politicians willing to spend the time and energy to at least attempt to address this issue. Bravo.
Hey, “Iknow”, I think you misread (mine anyway): it’s not that they put it in the mail slots it’s that they actually put the flyer in an envelope and put a stamp on it and mail it to you.
as far as the attorney is concerned: these folks who are delivering them are just the ponies pulling the cart. Tell them you don’t want them, they’ll leave. they might be relentless in their pursuit but they’ll leave and usually quietly. no need to resort to such drastic measures (although I do like the idea of dropping the truck load of kohl’s flyers at the doorstep of the advertising agency..i’m just sayin’…)
You can stand on a soapbox, but I guess you can’t sit on a milk crate.
In my neighbor we don’t have many restaurants to walk to where you can just sit and eat. I’m sure we will down the road but for right now the places that deliver are a boon. Those menus don’t really bother me. the plastic bagged circulars all over the yard and steps are a pain but it’s only a second to pick them up and toss them. for little businesses in my neighborhood, flyers can be a lifeline.
I hadn’t realized though how dangerous they could be on the steps. Sorry about your tenant, Brooklynwilly. Still, one more law to browbeat each other with. Anyone remember the guy who got a ticket for sitting on a milk crate?
To the person who said put them in the mail slot, that is not legal as per the post office. They lose out on bulk mailings. Technically they can fine you. So if you were really clever, and this would apply to the attorney, put them in the mail box and call the post office authorities and let them get fined. Now of course I wouldn’t recommend that, but just imagining the scenario. One thing not mentioned — if it didn’t work they wouldn’t keep doing it, so it must have some value to some people. As for the tenant who doesn’t believe in sharing the responsibility of cleaning up after them, I hope I never rent to you. It’s that attitude that keeps the city filthy.
I like the menus because sometimes you actually find some good places to order from.
I recycle all of the unwanted ones but, when I get the same menu from the same restaurant week after week I don’t order from them just on principle.
That is annoying.
yeah, the flyers can be annoying but here’s one better: last week, on two different days, I received, in the MAIL, an enveloped menu flyer from Red Hot II!!! No kidding. They’ve now taken theri marketing money and invested in snail mail to get the menu out there! Still ended up in the garbage but I thought, “wow, these folks will stop at nothing!”
Touche HDL. As someone who has only lived in co-ops or condos (without doormen, mind you) and has only come across the stray bunch of menus, or the 2 or so a week shoved under my door, I wasn’t aware of the magnitude of the problem out in some neighborhoods.
It does sound inordinately annoying and wasteful.
My guess is that the business owners themselves seldom do the distributing, hence, hire people to do it at very low pay, who then place/spew them willy nilly throughout the nabes. So there isn’t much oversight or particular care to where they end up.
It remind me of the “porn playing cards” scattered about the streets of Chelsea, near the clubs, usually on weekend nights, which are then face up the next morning, all over the sidewalks and gutters, and screaming “hello” to my children passing by at eye level.
“Mommy, why are those ladies’ boobs out?”
“…Uh, well honey, she forgot to put her bra on.”
“ohhhhh. (thinking) Well that was silly!”
Okay. The menus can get added to the list.
Honestly, I’ve always felt the food delivery culture exemplifies a certain complacency and slothfulness that is present in many New Yorkers.
Truly, is it really such a big deal to cook a meal or walk a block to a restaurant? Why do so many people feel the urge to have food delivered?
If people didn’t order enormous amounts of food for delivery – this problem simply wouldn’t exist.